Lewis Hamilton, who has won six World Championships with Mercedes, hasn’t been a fan of the cars the team has produced since the onset of the ground effect era in 2022. He has not hidden this fact and regularly complained about the same to Team Principal Toto Wolff before announcing that he would leave them for Ferrari in 2025. Despite this, Wolff holds nothing against the Briton and makes an honest admission in his support.
Wolff feels that Hamilton’s abilities haven’t been diminished in any way, despite the latter not having won a race since 2021. As quoted by Crash.net, the Austrian said:
“If Ferrari is able to give Lewis a competitive car, he can win a world championship. There is no doubt about that.”
Since Hamilton made his Ferrari move official, Mercedes has made some important changes internally. The 39-year-old still sits in important meetings but is excluded from discussions regarding the team’s future. This could have given rise to some awkward encounters within the Brackley-based outfit, but Wolff insists things are fine.
“I will always have a personal relationship with Lewis and I will look back at the great times, professionally and personally. When Lewis moves to Ferrari he becomes a competitor but I will always wish him happy days.”
Trust and harmony remain between Hamilton and Wolff, for now. Hamilton still has a season to complete at Mercedes, and with 16 more races to go, both he and Mercedes have to work together to finish the season in the best way possible. For now, their common goal remains intact.
Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff caught up in an awkward moment
Currently, Hamilton’s focus is to help Mercedes succeed. But that doesn’t mean that he isn’t keeping one eye on his future. At the Monaco GP weekend, Wolff caught his star man doing something different, “red” handed.
At the Principality, Hamilton was signing autographs for his fan when someone put forward a Ferrari cap. Hamilton gladly obliged and proceeded to sign, but it dramatically coincided with the moment Wolff went past Hamilton on his scooter.
Toto scooting past Lewis while he signs Ferrari caps feels like a scene from The Office
(via @MercedesAMGF1) pic.twitter.com/SmQg73VasR
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) May 30, 2024
This awkward moment saw Wolff turn back while on his scooter to spot the current Mercedes man. Hamilton wasn’t doing anything wrong, going by the rules, but it was a stark reminder to Wolff, that his star man is leaving in six months time, and he needs to find a competent replacement for the same.
