Toto Wolff reacts to Lewis Hamilton’s “surprise” departure: “We had a good hour-long conversation”
The team manager of Mercedes, Toto Wolff, has admitted that Lewis Hamilton's decision to join Ferrari in 2025 was a "surprise". But the Austrian leader will hold "no hard feelings" towards his driver, who has become a true friend to him over the years.
In an announcement that sent shockwaves through the Formula 1 world and even the sports community at large, Ferrari has announced that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the Scuderia from 2025. The British driver will therefore be leaving Mercedes after 12 seasons with the Brackley team, 82 victories, and six world championship titles.
“Wolff and Hamilton have forged a close personal relationship since their arrival at Mercedes in 2013, and the head of Mercedes has commented on this departure. « When we signed the contract with Lewis, we opted for a shorter duration, so the events are not a surprise, but maybe the timing is », he admitted.”
The Austrian leader then recounted the moment when Lewis Hamilton informed him of his departure. What happened is that we met for a coffee at my place in Oxford, and on the way back to the factory, he told me that he had decided to race for Ferrari in 2025. That’s about it, and we had a good hour of conversation, and that’s where we ended up.
« We need to ask Lewis why he changed his mind, and how he presented it to me is perfectly understandable: he needed a new challenge, was looking for a different environment, and it might have been the last opportunity to do something else, continued Wolff.
« We are grown boys, and we knew that signing a short-term contract could be beneficial for both parties. We couldn’t commit to a long period, and he is choosing the option to leave, so in a way, I totally respect the fact that one can change their mind if there are different circumstances,” he said.
« And moving to Ferrari for the last team of his career, and maybe playing a bit of a big game, I can understand this decision. I had heard rumors a few days earlier, but I wanted to wait for the breakfast we had planned, it was Wednesday morning and that’s when he announced the news. »
“Our professional journey is coming to an end […] but I found a friend.”
Toto Wolff has guided six out of Lewis Hamilton’s seven world championship triumphs since the start of their relationship at Mercedes in 2013, paving the way for an unprecedented period of success for the team, which has won eight consecutive constructor’s championship titles from 2014 to 2021.
The 52-year-old director described the partnership between Mercedes and Hamilton as the most successful the sport has seen when the team confirmed the departure of the driver on Thursday evening.
« Formula 1 has made me resilient to surprises. [But] this was a surprise. He was able to be very direct, because I am too, so once he said, “This is what I want to do,” I didn’t try to convince him otherwise. », he revealed about the circumstances of his driver’s departure.
This means that our professional journey is ending, but it does not mean that our personal relationship is coming to an end. I have found a friend. We have built a relationship over the past 10 years.
He faced a very complicated situation. I will always respect the difficult situation he went through. In the future, we can discuss whether it could have been done differently or not, but I will hold no grudges.
But Toto Wolff also wanted to remember the past, and the many successes that the team achieved with Hamilton. « We have lived a sensational journey together that will remain in the history books. We want to finish on a high note regarding his career at Mercedes, but we will build another phase of successes. », concluded the leader of Mercedes.
There is indeed still one season left for Lewis Hamilton to perform one last time with Toto Wolff. It remains to be seen how Mercedes will manage the heated situations that may arise on the track between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton…
