Lewis Hamilton dropped arguably the biggest bombshell on the F1 community a year ago when he announced he would join Ferrari. It was a move that came out of the blue, leaving Toto Wolff, who had expected Hamilton to fulfill the contract he signed just a few months earlier, high and dry.
Wolff had to spend the next few months getting used to the fact that Hamilton will wear red overalls in 2025. At the same time, he set out on a hunt for his replacement, which ended up being 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli, who, although regarded as a generational talent, is no Hamilton. At least not yet.
Now, the dust has settled. The hype around Hamilton’s arrival is dying down, and all teams are gearing up for a competitive season. For Wolff, however, there is extra motivation.
He wants to make Hamilton regret his choice of picking the Maranello-based outfit.
That’s what journalist Ian Parkes feels. In a recent RacingNews365 podcast, he spoke about how Wolff and Mercedes were blindsided by Hamilton’s decision, which should give the Austrian added desire to beat Ferrari.
“Toto will have now gone over the sight of seeing Lewis in that red Ferrari suit, in a Ferrari for the first time. And it’d be like, yeah, ‘Game on, Lewis. We’re gonna show you that you should not have left us and that you should have stayed here…'”
From the get-go, it likely won’t be possible for Mercedes to field a car faster than Ferrari’s. The Italian squad is expected to be a title challenger in 2025, but the following year is when Wolff will place all his bets.
With a complete reset in regulations—most of them engine-centric—Mercedes will be hoping to become the fastest on the grid and make Hamilton rue his decision.
Wolff and Hamilton’s official divorce
Hamilton and Wolff go way back. They both joined Mercedes the same year (2013) and together took the team to unprecedented levels of success. Six Drivers’ titles to Hamilton’s name and eight Constructors’ for Mercedes defined their time together, which made the exit awkward for Hamilton.
What made things more awkward were Wolff’s comments. After seeing Hamilton in Ferrari colors, the Austrian boss was asked how he felt seeing his former star repping the rivals.
*”It’s a bit like when you’ve had an amicable divorce, everything’s fine, and then you see your old partner with their new partner for the first time…”.
Toto Wolff’s reaction to seeing Lewis Hamilton in red for the first time pic.twitter.com/9Npkv1kCC9
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) January 30, 2025
Clearly, Wolff is still not over losing Hamilton. But when it comes to chasing wins and defeating the Stevenage-born on the track, there is little doubt that Wolff will rise to the challenge.
Time and again, he has reiterated that his aim is to make Mercedes champions again, and with a driver-pairing of George Russell and Antonelli, he truly believes he can achieve it. But he may have to be patient, bite his lips, and watch Hamilton succeed for some time.
