Lewis Hamilton is all set to compete in his final season with Mercedes this year before he moves to Maranello in 2025. Since the Briton’s longstanding stint with the team will finally come to an end, former F1 driver Karun Chandhok believes that the 39-year-old’s relationship with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff will be “awkward” from now on.
During his recent appearance on the Fast and Curious podcast, Chandhok said, “It will be a bit awkward because there’s going to be things, especially when it comes to the 25, and 26 cars. You know, they [Mercedes] will have to hide development bits from him and not share those secrets. He’s going away”.
Since the timeline for the regulation changes is not too far away, Chandhok’s assessment is likely to be spot on. F1 has revealed that from 2026 onwards, the cars will be built lighter and smaller. Therefore, any team could find itself at a significant disadvantage even if a small amount of data leaks.
As a result, Toto Wolff has already picked George Russell as Mercedes’ leader in 2024. This only seems to suggest that Hamilton could receive a cold shoulder for the rest of the campaign. However, Wolff has provided assurances that this will not be the case.
Toto Wolff reveals if Mercedes will treat Lewis Hamilton differently in 2024
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have been together for 11 long years. During this time, they have had remarkable success as Mercedes have won eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships from 2014 to 2021. Meanwhile, Hamilton has won six of his seven titles with the team.
However, next year this relationship will come to an end as Hamilton will depart for Ferrari. Since the Briton will no longer be a part of Mercedes’ long-term plans, the question that arises is whether the team will include him in their development talks.
While addressing the same, Toto Wolff made it clear to crash.net that he has no concerns about Hamilton’s honesty when it comes to sharing information. Moreover, the Austrian added that he’ll continue to give both George Russell and Hamilton equal treatment.
Wolff said, “I’ve always tried to be transparent and fair and nothing’s going to change in that respect in 2024. It doesn’t have a big impact on everything that has happened going forward on the development side.” Additionally, Wolff mentioned that Russell is always there to take over the leadership in Mercedes once Hamilton leaves.
However, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan is less certain about Russell’s leadership capabilities. Since F1 experts have given all kinds of views concerning Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, only time will tell about how Mercedes treats their two drivers in 2024.
