Lewis Hamilton announcing he will move to Ferrari in 2025, turned out to be one of the biggest shocks in F1 history. Hardly anyone was ready for the move, least of all anyone from the Mercedes team. News soon broke of Toto Wolff coming to know of the move only a night before the public announcement of the same. However, a report from Silver Arrows.net quotes Wolff, revealing how Fred Vasseur’s texting habit gave him an idea of Hamilton going to Ferrari.
Wolff faced a question about Vasseur’s handling of the Hamilton job. The Mercedes team principal jokingly claimed Vasseur did not do a good job at the time. Furthermore, he revealed how an unreplied message to Vasseur gave him a hint of what was going on.
“When I sent Fred [Vasseur] a WhatsApp two days before he didn’t reply, so I guess I knew.”
Wolff and Vasseur share a friendship that extends beyond the realms of F1. They have known each other for a long time, but maintaining a friendship in F1 is a tough task. Given the two of them are in charge of rival teams, staying professional is a priority. As such, friendships often face the wrath of professionalism.
Per Wolff, Vasseur followed the professional route, and it was the right thing to do. He claimed he understood Vasseur’s rationale and that finding the right balance isn’t often easy. However, the incident will have no negative impact on his relationship with Vasseur. Wolff concluded that Vasseur didn’t inform him because Hamilton felt he should inform Wolff first.
Vasseur’s toughest challenge came after signing Lewis Hamilton
While signing Hamilton as a Ferrari driver was a challenging task, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as what would follow. Two conversations would follow the signing with both being a unique ask. The first was to let Carlos Sainz know that he won’t be a part of the Ferrari team anymore, from 2025 onwards. And the second was to let Toto Wolff know of Hamilton leaving Mercedes. Speaking about Sainz, Vasseur detailed the emotional complexity of the move.
The Spaniard was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in 2023. Meanwhile, Hamilton is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid and has more wins than anyone else in F1 history. As such, the opportunity to sign the latter was one Vasseur did not want to let go of. He added the move had nothing to do with Sainz, who did a great job in 2023. Vasseur added Sainz “will do a great job next year (2024)” as well.
Speaking about the phone call with Wolff, Vasseur claimed it was one of the most difficult calls of his life. However, he remained positive that Hamilton was a professional driver. With the longest-ever F1 season ahead of them, Vasseur hoped both drivers would be professional in their approach to help their teams win.
