Wolff not worried about rivals poaching staff

Dec.18 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he is not worried Mercedes' success will be eroded by rival teams poaching top staff.

When asked about rumours that Ferrari poached five Mercedes engineers as the Italian marque significantly improved its engine last year, he insisted: "That's nonsense."

But he also admitted that, in light of Mercedes' utter dominance in the new 'power unit' era, his staff are now highly sought after.

"Every successful business has to deal with change," Wolff told Auto Motor und Sport.

"Most important is to have your finger on the pulse, which can sometimes be difficult when you have 1200 people. There are always those who are looking for a new challenge or are looking for higher positions somewhere else.

"But at the moment we are holding together as a strong team," he added.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, however, has gone on the record to suggest that while Mercedes is winning, it is Ferrari's "incredible fan base" that makes the fabled Italian team even stronger.

"Ferrari have an incredible fan base even when they lose," he told Motorsport-Magain.com. "You don't find that with Mercedes.

"If they begin to lose, then you'll see what happens. If Mercedes stop winning, I don't think that many people will feel any sympathy for them," Ecclestone added.