‘Toto Wolff of Formula E’ aims to make sparks fly for Mercedes

His boss might be famed Mercedes F1 chief Toto Wolff, but Ian James is bringing his own “passionate” approach as head of the marque’s fledgling Formula E team.

The Briton has been tasked with turning Mercedes, the dominant force of Formula 1, into the front-runner in the electric racing series.

Five races in, the rookie outfit lies in fifth place, with its ex-McLaren F1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne twice finishing on the podium.

Its appearance in Formula E is down in no uncertain terms to a dramatic and very public U-turn by Wolff, who was an early skeptic of the series.

He even said at the team’s unveiling he “didn’t believe that Formula E could make it.”

Now, though, Wolff is a fully fledged convert, and he turned to James to lead Mercedes’ venture into electric motor sport.

READ: Ellie Goulding: Formula E is ‘literally the future’

READ: Mitch Evans on Formula E’s era of change

Ian James in Riyadh at the start of the Formula E 2019-20 season.

James shuns comparisons with Wolff, but also aims to copy his boss.

“It’s brilliant to work with someone like Toto,” said James. “At a race weekend, we speak on multiple occasions. His focus is Formula 1 but he is still very much involved in the Formula E programme.

“What I try to do is the same as Toto, which is holistic. I’m passionate about racing and making sure we’re always moving in the right direction. He does that very well.

“He’ll leave us to it but he offers great advice when it comes to drivers or analyzing what went wrong at a race and what could have been done better.”

Wolff v Wolff in Formula E

Ian James and Toto Wolff at the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team launch with the teams' drivers Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne.

Despite Wolff’s split interest and direction, James is adamant it will have no bearing on Lewis Hamilton or Mercedes’ continued ambition to remain No.1 when the F1 season gets under way in Australia next month.

But the Austrian is not the only Wolff James has to deal with. Toto’s wife Susie, team principal of the Venturi team, is a partner in using the Mercedes EQ powertrain but also a grid rival.

James laughs at the idea he might be caught in the midst of a Wolff vs. Wolff on-track battle. “It’s certainly a unique position to be in,” he said. “But it’s great to have Susie on board as she’s someone I can have a very open dialogue with.

“We know if we take the right approach and work collaboratively, we can develop both teams faster together. And it would be a dream if all four drivers are fighting for the top spots. Then it gets serious.”

READ: ‘The car was turning for me:’ Sam Bird on the race of his life

READ: New-look Formula E car grows shark fin

Mexico City, R4: Porsche's Andre Lotterer (right) led the field off the grid from pole in what was an incident filled Mexico E-Prix.

A huge crowd reported to number about 100,000 turned out to watch the electric racing series.

A helmeted fireman watches on as the race unfolds.

Australia's Mitch Evans, driving a Panasonic Jaguar Racing car, overtook Lotterer on the first corner and built up a sizeable lead to win by more than four seconds.

Santiago, Chile, R3: Victory goes to Maximilian Günther of the BMW i Andretti Motorsport team.

At 22, Gunther became the youngest Formula E race winner in history.

The E-Prix Antofagasta Minerals was the third round of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.

Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, R2: Alexander Sims sets the early pace during the second E-Prix of the season in Diriyah.

BMW's Sims celebrates following his maiden Formula E victory.

Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, R1: Porsche's Neel Jani leads the pack in practice ahead of the first Formula E race of the season in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

Sam Bird celebrates after winning the first race of the Formula E Championship.

Nico Müller of Switzerland turns a corner in Diriyah.

Pascal Wehrlein comes over the crest of hill during practice ahead of the first E-Prix of the season.

Daniel Abt avoids some spilled liquid on the track in Diriyah.

Formula E: Best photos from 2019-2020 season

Prev Next

Like Wolff, James’ passion for motor sport growing up lay in F1, first getting hooked at the age of five or six.

For him, the standout early moment was spilling onto the circuit at Silverstone when Nigel Mansell won the 1991 British Grand Prix and famously gave rival Ayrton Senna a lift back to the pit lane after he ran out of fuel at the finish.

After studying mechanical engineering at university, James’ first job came at McLaren working on the Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren for three and a half years before a switch to Mercedes where he has worked for the last 15 years.

READ: The remote desert powering electric revolution

Formula E has unveiled its new car for next season with an eye-catching design that features a number of cosmetic changes.

The new design has been christened the Gen2 EVO.

The Gen2 EVO has a new dorsal fin.

It also includes a distinctive curved rear wing.

The front wing has been updated as well.

FIA President Jean Todt says the sport's technology "has come a long way", and hopes it "can benefit all road users".

Formula E founder Alejandro Agag says the car's "futuristic design once again showcases Formula E as the category for innovation in both technological advances and appearance."

The striking new body is designed to make the car "more sleek and agile," according to Formula E founder Alejandro Agag.

Teams can design and develop their cars' electric components and parts for the powertrain, but not alter the body.

The car will be officially unveiled on the FIA stand at the Geneva International Motor Show on March 3.

Formula E unveils new car design

Prev Next

‘We’re racers’

His roles have been multifarious: part of the team behind the introduction of KERs in 2011 and helping the returning Mercedes to a first victory the following season with Nico Rosberg. But he was also heavily involved in the powertrain development which led to the first world titles in 2014 and the ongoing dominance.

“I’m a jack of all trades, master of none,” he said. “I’m an engineer by trade but genuinely a bad one. I’ve had time in finance and marketing, in program management. It’s been a mixed bag.

“And with this, I was lucky – it was genuinely too good to turn down, not just getting back into motor sport which is a passion of mine but also the opportunity to start up a business.”

READ: Experience the thrill of Formula E from the cockpit

And like any motor sport business, the primary goal is winning.

“Internally, there’s enough understanding and empathy that expectations are kept in check in our rookie year in a complex series,” he said. “But externally we’re the team with the three-pointed star, one linked with great success in F1 and DTM before that.

“It takes time, look at F1 for example. But we want to win the competition as we’re racers. The mid-term goal is to get into championship contention but we’re aware how challenging that will be.

“Of all the things I’ve done, this will be very hard to top. We’re at the start of this journey and making sure we bring the results and build up the business to make sure that it’s ready for the future.”