Despite having a close relationship with Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has expressed surprise when he received the news of the Briton choosing to move to Ferrari in 2025. However, it was not Hamilton who told him the same first. Instead, it was Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur who broke the news to the Austrian. Vasseur has now labeled the same as “the most difficult” call he has ever made in his career.
The Frenchman and Wolff have been close friends in the F1 paddock. Hence, it would have unsurprisingly been awkward for Vasseur to relay such a piece of news to the Mercedes boss.
Ferrari Formula 1 boss Fred Vasseur says that telling Carlos Sainz that he will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton in 2025 was one of his “most difficult” phone calls.
Full story⬇️https://t.co/AUPJJ6HbEu
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) February 13, 2024
In terms of iconic driver moves, Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari is arguably the most historic moment within the sport. It arguably even eclipses his own move from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013.
And the numbers reflect the same. Soon after Ferrari announced that they had successfully signed Hamilton for 2025, the parent company witnessed a whopping $10 billion rise in market cap on that day.
As for Vasseur, calling Wolff was not the only strange moment that he faced after signing Hamilton. The Frenchman then also had to inform Carlos Sainz about the disappointing news.
Fred Vasseur explains how difficult it was to inform Carlos Sainz about his sacking
In the buildup to the 2024 season, both the Ferrari drivers were entering into the last year of their contracts with the team. Charles Leclerc quickly signed a multi-year deal with the Maranello-based team, worth around $30,000,000 a year.
Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, was unhappy with the terms of the proposed contract, and hence, decided to stall the deal Ferrari offered. During the time the Spaniard waited for a revised offer, Lewis Hamilton sensed an opportunity and signed for the Prancing Horse.
Ferrari Formula 1 boss Fred Vasseur says that telling Carlos Sainz that he will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton in 2025 was one of his “most difficult” phone calls.
Full story⬇️https://t.co/AUPJJ6HbEu
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) February 13, 2024
Soon after the news broke out that Ferrari had signed Hamilton, Vasseur gave a call to Sainz. Motorsport.com quoted Vasseur as revealing, “As you can imagine it was not the easiest call of my life, one of the most difficult”.
Both Sainz and Wolff may feel hard done by Ferrari. In 2025, though, Sainz is looking for a seat and Mercedes are scouting for Hamilton’s replacement. Therefore, it won’t be too far-fetched an idea to see the Spaniard in Mercedes overalls from next season onwards.
