Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes knew of the “shelf life” of the 39-year-old Lewis Hamilton and knew that there would be a time when the team needed to let him go. The Austrian received an early tip from Carlos Sainz Sr. about this move to Ferrari before it became official.
“I sent a text to Fred Vasseur saying âyouâre taking our driver?â
“[I] didnât get any response, very unusual for Fred. Heâs a good friend.”
Back in February 2024, Hamilton shocked the sporting world by announcing he would depart Mercedes after spending 12 years with the Brackley-based team by deciding to join forces with Ferrari from 2025 onwards. The Briton states this decision was to pursue his childhood dream.
Hamilton’s final hurrah with Mercedes is not turning out the way he had hoped despite bagging two victories this year in Great Britain and Belgium. The 7-time champion spent most of the year battling an underperforming and inconsistent W15.
Wolff’s comments on the move are explored deeper in the Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane book which follows the team in their turbulent 2023 season and the first part of the 2024 season. Included is Hamilton’s spectacular switch.
Many tipped that Hamilton’s departure was a grave loss, but Wolff saw it the other way as revealed in a chat with the book’s author, Matt Whyman.
“I absolutely had it on my radar that Lewis would go. I just couldnât understand why heâd change to another team before we knew if we were going to be competitive.”
Hamilton’s sudden announcement forced Wolff to quickly deal with damage control despite the whole situation did not give him enough time to react.
“It also didnât give me any time to react, I had to emergency call our partners, and I possibly missed out on negotiating with other drivers who had signed contracts a few weeks earlier like Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.”
Wolff admits he likes the situation since he did not need to tell Hamilton they were ending their partnership.
“[But] I like the situation. It helps us because it avoids the moment where we need to tell the sportâs most iconic driver that we want to stop.“
The ground-effect era has not been kind to Hamilton after enduring a winless 2022 and 2023 seasons. Most of the time, George Russell favored comparably since outscoring Hamilton in his maiden season.
Wolff reiterated his claims about shelf life and explained the reason why Mercedes only offered a one-plus-one contract in 2023.
“Thereâs a reason why we only signed a one-plus-one-year contract. Weâre in a sport where cognitive sharpness is extremely important, and I believe everyone has a shelf life.“
Wolff defends his decision citing the need to look into the future. The Austrian used an analogy from football as a comparison.
“So I need to look at the next generation. Itâs the same in football. Managers like Sir Alex Ferguson or Pep Guardiola. They anticipated it in the performance of their top stars and brought in junior players that drove the team for the next years.“
The next generation is in the form of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, an 18-year-old prodigy who is set to tae Hamilton’s post starting from next season. Hamilton himself also backed the Italian for this opportunity.
Speaking to Whyman, Hamilton states that he is leaving Brackley on a good note and ending a perfectly fine relationship.
“I feel like Iâm ending a relationship thatâs perfectly fine. Weâre still in love. I havenât lost faith in the team. Iâm just leaving for myself.”
The need to pursue the dream to pilot the red car proved to be tempting for Hamilton but he did not hold back about his love of risk-taking, mirroring his own decision to join Mercedes back in 2013.
“[Moving to Ferrari] has been a childhood dream. I think itâs probably the same for every kid who loves motor sport. You know? Driving the red car. The fact is Iâm moving towards the end of my career. Iâve only got a few years left, and so I started thinking how Iâd feel looking back on it all. I asked myself if Iâd be truly happy if I just stayed with the team rather than experiencing something different.
“I thought about it long and hard over the winter. It was a heavy time. I have this amazing thing going on here, after all. Itâs been a huge privilege, and I genuinely love working with everyone. I also know moving is a big risk. But then I love risk. In the end, I just couldnât get it out of my head.â
Wolff did not hold any hard feelings for Hamilton’s “business decision”.
“This was a business decision. Weâve enjoyed such a successful journey together, and now we have our own objectives. This didnât even move the needle for me. âIâm thick-skinned, you know? Iâve had some pretty tough moments in my life, and this doesnât compare.“
