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You know that big names in the world of sports often had difficult childhoods. Regardless of whether it was the death of someone close, financial difficulties, or similar, what is common is that such moments are traumatic and leave huge scars. For some, such moments can be discouraging, causing the person to have no motivation. There are also those for whom such moments motivate them to fight even harder with life.
A well-known face of the F1 scene, Toto Wolff, had similar experiences.
In an interview with the media, the Mercedes boss decided to talk about his childhood, which was quite traumatic. Toto Wolff had a difficult childhood, and the death of his father, who suffered from brain cancer, changed Wolff's view of life.
Having a father figure in life is, according to many, the key thing. Wolff, unfortunately, did not manage to share many moments with his father, considering that he passed away when he was 15 years old.
“It’s a * up upbringing but through nobody else’s fault,” Wolff said, as quoted by Crash.
“It was just the circumstances. My father got very ill with brain cancer when I was very young, six or seven years old. He got operated on many, many times until he died when I was 15.
So my father wasn’t really present, couldn’t be present. As a young boy you fall in love with your father. He is your hero. Then you need to have those moments where you hate your father, where you are actually able to revolt in a way."
The Mercedes boss revealed that he never blamed his father, nor did he look at him negatively. The emotion that stood out the most was anger. During that period, Toto had to rely on his mother as the main figure in the house. Her fight, love, and desire for life were the main drivers for the Mercedes boss. The leader of one of the biggest teams on the F1 scene is proud of his mother, stressing that he never blamed her for anything.
“I had none of that, only anger. At the same time my mother was a doctor and she tried to survive herself. And that’s why my sister and I were pretty much on our own and needed to look after her.
But I am at total peace with that now. I also said to my mother, ‘you have no fault in that’, everybody just had to look after themselves.”
Overcoming trauma is not easy. It takes a lot of effort and work on yourself, i.e. introspection. Wolff says that such moments give you a strong motivation to confirm your worth. The popular leader noticed that many famous people also had similar moments that scared them. He also points out that many successful people also had a happy childhood, which shows that life is specific and unique in many ways.
The greatness of a person is reflected in the fact that you constantly work on yourself and that you do not transfer the traumas and frustrations of your childhood onto others. Toto Wolff obviously succeeded in that, right? Perhaps the most important figure of Mercedes realized that if he wants to achieve his goals in life, it is important to constantly work on himself.
For him, the most important thing is to be a happy adult and to have friends and family you can rely on. Although a difficult childhood can leave consequences for a lifetime, the Mercedes boss has worked a lot on himself, happy that life has shaped him to become a great person and achieve success.
Toto grew up in a family that also had financial difficulties, admitting that this also left a huge mark on him. The environment in which he was then mostly consisted of rich people, and they did not have money to pay for a private school.
“Maybe not because for me the worst of all situation was that I was a poor kid in an environment where there was wealth. I was going to a private school which we couldn’t afford."
A particularly difficult moment was when the headmaster called them to the office and told them that they had to leave the school because their fees had not been paid. He admits that financial difficulties and events in the family are the reason why he became self-responsible, wanting to provide much more to his children and family.
Wolff has the feeling that without such life circumstances, there is no way he would be in his current position.
He is the best example of how harsh life can be, but that harsh situations can be an important lesson that you will learn in the future.
There is no doubt that Toto has become one of the most prominent personalities on the F1 scene, and his story can be a great motivation for all those who had or have a difficult childhood.
English (US)