Get to Know the Boss:

What Makes Toto, Toto?

Speaking on The Armchair Podcast – hosted by American actor and comedian Dax Shepard and Monica Padman – at the end of 2024, Toto went on a journey through time, diving deep into his early years to explain how the boy from Vienna became a household name.

‘Guilt’ Over his Father’s Passing

“My Dad had a transport company. He was successful at a young age, but then he lost all of it. He had brain cancer when I was eight. It started benign and got worse to the point it was uncurable.

“It was struggle for him because he was operated on so much that it changed his personality and when a son is in his teenage years, you need your Dad - to love, to look up to, to hate, to fight. There is a terrible guilt.”

“In the early years of my professional life, I was driven by anger, for all the people who let my Dad down. At the beginning I wanted to show them. There was a list of actual people who didn’t respect my father.

“When my Dad got ill that I took so much responsibility on for my sister – it made me want to be an adult.”

‘My Mother is Responsible for Who I am Today’

“My mother came to Vienna when she was 18, speaking no word of German and studied medicine, and became a doctor. She was an anaesthesiologist.

“She is now 79, she is not well, and she says to me that she is not a good mother. And I tell her that I forgive her, because I know how difficult it is to be at home and see the suffering.

“But at the end she is responsible for who I am today. If you asked me now if I would rather be who I am today or a white elephant, I would rather be who I am today.”

How A Car Crash Brought Toto and Susie Together

“I did not have motorsport on my radar, but then I visited the Nürburgring. I took the lap record with a 7:03 or something like that, but I wanted another go.

“I got a puncture at 180mph. I went off into the barriers and slid 250 metres on the roof. I got out of the car by myself, but the paramedics found me unconscious behind the barrier, lying down with my helmet and safety equipment on. I have no recollection of this.

“The doctor said I had compression fractures in my vertebrae and one of my eyes was looking inside, it was a concussion.

“I could not sleep on my back for two months because of the nerve damage, and I lost my sense of taste and smell – everything tasted like cardboard!

“The accident is how I met Susie. She was on a fitness camp with the Mercedes DTM team. They decided they would ring me to check in, and that Susie would be the one to call.

“We chatted for about half an hour, and that is how we met. So, the accident was good!”

Channelling A New Perspective

“I am 52 now, but I would say I have only started to feel calmer and re-assured in the past few years in my own existence. I have only now found peace.

“But I am less anxious about success. The drive is not gone but channelled in a different way.

“I was so busy in my life to get things done, and I always had that feeling of failure.

“Only recently have I thought that if everything ended today – the racing, the winning, the money, Susie could even leave me for the hairdresser – I could go with a good feeling.

“I have a wonderful relationship with my children, the best wife I can imagine, I have done what I wanted to do. That is why I have peace. But there is always a risk that comes with that contentment. I want that.”

You Do Not Need to Have a Passion At 23… I didn’t!

“My son Bene is 23 and studies in Los Angeles. He tried three laps of go-karting when he was a child, came into the pits and asked to go to the park instead!

“We put a lot of pressure on the young generations – we tell them they need a passion and a real interest and you have to perform at school or sports.

“They look at Instagram and see all these people who are ‘perfect.’ They can grow up thinking they are inadequate.

“My son is in his senior year, and I am taking all the pressure off. I let my kids be. You do not need to have a passion at 23, because I did not. I was a college dropout.

“Whatever they love, you end up cheering for it.”

Dealing with ‘Bore Out’

“The more pressure I have, the more comfort I have. I had to make decisions at eight, so I am not scared. I can order in a restaurant in 10 seconds. That is part of simplification, I wear the same trousers and shoes in every colour – blue, beige, grey suits.

“As long as I have to solve problems I am in safe space. When I am calm and comfortable I can take it for 10 days – like a holiday – but no more. I need the balance.

“I am more at risk of boreout than a burn-out. Stress is only a coping mechanism for me.

“I would love to sit in coffee shop somewhere and just sit with a newspaper, but I can’t – my mind is too busy.”

An Active Brain on ‘Autopilot’

“I do not enjoy watching movies or music. I like reading. It gives me a stimulation of thinking about things. I stare at the ceiling, I do it in the morning, I sit in bed for 20 minutes.

“But why do you have your best ideas in the shower, in the toilets, while you’re shaving, in the car?

“It is because your brain is active, but it is on autopilot, so that is why we have those creative moments. I think a lot about those things, and I write them down. We are all different.

“If I am doing an activity like going to the gym, I am not capable of thinking about anything else. But if Susie does her steps a day, or goes to the gym, she comes back and writes lots of ideas down.”

Life with Susie… On the Racetrack

“Susie is quicker than me and I am proud of that! We were karting once, and she was always two seconds faster, so I decided to play a little trick.

“I am heavier, so I put 25kg of ballast in her kart, the gap was still two seconds. So, I got some proper qualifying tyres, really grippy and sticky. Susie was STILL two seconds faster than me!”

‘The Door Opened and Brad Pitt Was Standing There!’

“Being visible in the media happened late in my life, mid 40s, so I have that scepticism or surprise when someone wants to take a selfie.

“I am not starstruck, generally. I admire people who are good at what they do. When they started the filming the F1 movie they were more interested in my role.

“I planned to have dinner with Javier Bardem at our house in Oxford. The doorbell rung and Brad Pitt walked into the house! That was a moment that made me realise how far we had come.”

No More Pumpernickel Bread!

It may be many a Drive to Survive fan’s favourite Toto moment, but those days are gone…

“I do not do breakfast anymore. I have a cappuccino. I feel like it is useless calories, and I am not hungry anyway. The cappuccino is a treat, and then I have lunch and dinner.

“At the racetrack I have chicken breast, which vegetables and tomato and I treat myself to half a glass of full fat Coca-Cola, which is good for digestion.

“Dinner I try and stay lean, like protein – or if I see something nice on the menu or something local then I can indulge a bit. I do not drink wine or beer. If I drink alcohol, it is full blast vodka!”