Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had plans for a serene vacation during the Formula 1 summer break, aiming to unwind from the whirlwind of recent weeks spent on the race tracks. However, his relaxation plans took an unexpected turn as he found himself in the hospital instead of a tranquil spa retreat.
Wolff’s exact summer holiday location, where he was accompanied by his wife Susie and son Jack, remains undisclosed. What is known is that the 51-year-old Austrian endured a significant arm injury during a leisure sport activity.
Susie Wolff, sharing a snapshot on Instagram, showcased her husband’s apparent injury. Her caption read, “An action-packed start to the summer holidays. The last picture shows how downhill mountain biking ended for Toto…”
The photograph captured Wolff’s left arm encased in a cast, implying a mishap during a mountain biking incident.
Details regarding the extent of Wolff’s injury have yet to emerge apart from a statement issued from Mercedes describing that Toto broke his elbow in a downhill mountain biking accident immediately after the Belgian Grand Prix. However, they assured that Toto should be fully recovered by the end of the summer break. Wolff himself has yet to address the presumed biking mishap.
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Previous injuries from cycling
This isn’t the first time the prominent Formula 1 team boss has encountered a biking-related injury. Almost a decade ago, Wolff suffered a fall that resulted in a fractured elbow, wrist, collarbone, and shoulder.
In 2014 Wolff was cycling with other members of the Silver Arrows team along the Danube River when the incident occurred.
“A bit of a carambolage during yesterday’s bike ride resulted in a fractured shoulder, collar bone, elbow and wrist,” Mercedes tweeted. “But as the big man himself said, “Racing is a State of Mind”!! #Totonator” tweeted his wife.
Wolff added: “We’ve decided to leave it to the pros now. Lewis & Nico are better wheel to wheel at 300 km’h than we are at 30 km/h!”
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The potential impact of Wolff’s arm injury on his role as the head of the German-British F1 outfit remains uncertain despite the reassurance from Mercedes in their statement.
As Formula 1 enjoys its four-week summer hiatus following the recent race at Spa-Francorchamps, the 2023 season is poised to resume with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort from August 25th to 27th.
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