According to an F1 expert, Lewis Hamilton will have to deal with exclusion following the announcement that he is moving to Ferrari. The explanation for this is that Mercedes will now consciously or subconsciously withhold the development information from the seven-time champion.
Speaking about the same with Sky Sports, F1 commentator Martin Brundle stated that Lewis Hamilton may no longer be invited to meetings now that the team has reached a phase of transition.
He elaborated, ” You’ve got this transition point where Lewis will stop being invited to meetings. He won’t understand what’s going on with the development of the car and in the simulator.”
Brundle also believes Mercedes is now going to favor George Russell more. The F1 expert’s claim undoubtedly differs greatly from Toto Wolff’s earlier this month. However, considering that Hamilton just has the last season left with his squad, the Britishman may have made this claim.
Further supporting Brundle’s assessment is the fact that Wolff has already declared Russell to be the team’s future leader. Therefore, it is evident that the Silver Arrows will not naturally address Hamilton in their key developmental conversations.
Moreover, Brundle also believes that Hamilton could be able to provide the Maranello-based side with some very important information.
When asked what kind of information could be included, Brundle responded, that the information may have to do with the car’s operation, philosophy, and what Hamilton needs from it to maximize his potential.
What did Toto Wolff say regarding Lewis Hamilton’s treatment in Mercedes before his exit in 2025?
Lewis Hamilton stunned the entire F1 community with his unexpected declaration to move to Ferrari. Interestingly, the timing of his decision has caused many people to question how Toto Wolff and Co. will treat the seven-time champion. In response to the speculations that were going around, Toto Wolff declared that the Briton would be treated equally on the team starting in 2024.
He also emphasized the transparency policy claiming that he and the Mercedes team have always worked to maintain it. While elaborating on it Wolff said, “Nothing’s going to change in that [Treatment] respect in 2024. We owe it to our principles and our racing intent, how we go about – we will respect that.”
Aside from this, Hamilton’s involvement in engineering meetings throughout this transitional phase has been a focal point. This topic has been discussed since teams often refrain from conversations about the upcoming year’s car during a driver’s transitional period.
In short, this is done to stop any data or insights from being disclosed to rival teams. However, as most of us would have noticed if a driver’s attendance in these meetings is purposefully lowered, it could have an impact on their on-track performance.
Coupled with this fact, Wolff stated that he had no concerns about these particular areas. He justified it by citing his faith in Hamilton’s integrity. Wolff’s assurance certainly reflects his confidence in the squad’s values and internal processes.
