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Toto Wolff says Mercedes offered him a stake in its F1 team, then helped finance the purchase when he said he couldn't afford it "Eventually, they came back and said, 'We think our model, a corporate running a Formula One team, doesn't function, because it needs to be much more entrepreneurially led, you need to be empowered to take decisions on the spot, and we want you to run this'" "I said, 'I need to pinch myself because being the head of Mercedes Motorsport is probably one of the best jobs in the industry, other than being the Ferrari guy'" "I had to say no because I was a shareholder in Williams, and I have been always an entrepreneur" "They said, 'Funny that you say that because we've just bought 40% of the Abu Dhabi Sovereign Fund. We bought it back, you can buy that.' I said, 'I did well in my life, but I won't be able to afford it'" John Collison: "But they helped you finance it, right?" Toto: "Exactly. They said, 'How much can you afford?' I said, 'I'm always on the conservative side, I've gone through financial hardship, and I don't want to end up there'" "'How much are you prepared to put into this?' I said, 'That's the amount.' They said, 'We're going to help you finance the rest.' Here I was"