Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has broken his silence on whether he has scouted for any replacement driver if Lewis Hamilton decides to leave the team at the end of the season. Due to Mercedes’ below-par start, there have been widespread speculations that the Briton may consider joining a rival if he does not believe that the Silver Arrows can improve much.
After three races, Mercedes have scored 56 points and are currently third in the Constructors’ Championship. They are nine points behind second-placed Aston Martin and a staggering 67 points behind leaders Red Bull.
Toto Wolff not thinking of options beyond Lewis Hamilton
In an interview with Autosport, Toto Wolff stated that Mercedes’ sole plan is Plan A and that is Lewis Hamilton. He explained his point by adding, “I don’t want to engage in discussions with other drivers, because I’m happy with the ones that are in the team, that’s for sure. At the moment, there is no Plan B. It’s Lewis”.
In the scenario that Hamilton decides to leave Mercedes, Wolff believes that his side would be given enough of a warning. The 51-year-old is confident that the Briton would tell Mercedes early enough of his decision as he would feel a responsibility towards the team.
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And if Hamilton does end up leaving, Wolff is confident that Mercedes is a team that is very much capable of finding suitable options for themselves. He believes that if his side ‘are attractive to others’, then they will find solutions.
Hamilton and Mercedes seem to have rediscovered their form
After two fifth-place finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Lewis Hamilton finished an outstanding second in Australia this past weekend. The Briton was able to fend off the challenge from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso with ease, thereby suggesting that Mercedes have made remarkable improvements with their car.
Consequently of this improved result, Hamilton finds himself fourth in the championship with 38 points. He is seven points behind third-placed Alonso and a further nine points behind second-placed Sergio Perez. When it comes to reigning champion Max Verstappen, Hamilton is already a whopping 31 points behind.
After securing Mercedes’ best finish in Australia, Hamilton explained how grateful he was for all the efforts his team had put in. He stated that he never expected to finish on the podium after the kind of start they had to their campaign.
