Some Much Needed Context to Viral Lewis Hamilton-Toto Wolff Drive to Survive Moment That Was Blown Out of Proportion

The month of February started with a bombshell for all F1 fans. Lewis Hamilton dropped the news of him leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025. A few days later, Netflix dropped the full trailer for Drive to Survive’s season 6. In a particular scene, seeing Hamilton and Toto Wolff discuss their future in F1 quickly became the primary talking point among the fans.

As emotions peaked among fans, who blew it out of proportion, The Athletic analyzed the entire scene and provided some context behind the same. The entirety of the conversation was much more wholesome, contrary to what it seemed like in the trailer. A private meeting took place between Wolff and Hamilton, where they discussed Mercedes’ past decisions.

Hamilton first claimed the decision to stick with the 2022 concept for 2023 was their “biggest failure.” Wolff quickly agreed with it. The Mercedes car rarely had enough pace in it to keep up with the rest of the grid a lot of the time. Their weakness came into full effect in the latter stages of the season, with even Alpine getting the better of them in Brazil.

The conversation between Wolff and Hamilton then turned to the team’s future. Wolff told Hamilton he didn’t want to wait until 2026 for the driver to win his eighth drivers’ championship. Hamilton replied, “Frick! Me neither!”

Hamilton added Wolff could be with Mercedes for 20 or 30 more years, but he did not have that luxury. In response, Wolff told Hamilton, “You are one of the people to lead this team forward.”

Reactions on social media added to the chaos around Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff

The timing of the trailer drop and some clever editing merely blew things out of proportion. Furthermore, fans’ reactions on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) did not help Mercedes’ cause. Hamilton’s move to Ferrari already had Mercedes fans on edge, and the scene from the trailer pushed them into a spiral.

One fan wondered what Wolff’s reaction would have been when Hamilton told him he was joining Ferrari.

Meanwhile, another claimed Wolff looked like he wanted to commit a crime.

Both Hamilton and Wolff maintain there is no bad blood between them. Despite the timing of the announcement, both entities remain committed to helping Mercedes complete their resurgence. Furthermore, Wolff hopes he can hand Hamilton his eighth drivers’ championship in his last season with the Silver Arrows.