TOTO WOLFF SUMS UP LEWIS HAMILTON RELATIONSHIP AFTER ‘BRUISING’ INCIDENT
Toto Wolff says he felt 'bruised' by Lewis Hamilton's bombshell decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari.
F1 fans were left stunned earlier this year when Hamilton, 39, announced his move to the iconic Italian team from 2025, ending a hugely successful stint with Mercedes where he clinched six of his seven world titles. Despite Mercedes' recent struggles following the sweeping technical changes in F1, team principal Wolff, 52, wasn't totally blindsided by Hamilton's choice to switch allegiances.
The Austrian maintains that their friendship remains intact, although he expressed hurt over how the transfer was handled, pointing fingers at Ferrari for 'leaking' the news before he could fully come to terms with it.
In a candid chat with Sky Sports' Martin Brundle at the Austrian Grand Prix, Wolff opened up about his and Hamilton's dynamic post-decision, explaining: "There is a professional and a personal relationship. When he signed a very short-term contract [last year], it was clear that could happen."
He continued, revealing his frustration: "What's bruising is that I didn't have any time to react. It was basically the same day. I said, 'How are we going to announce this? The beginning of the season or mid-season?"
Wolff then accused Ferrari of premature disclosure: "It was clear it was leaking from Ferrari. That didn't give me any time to do any stakeholder management, [talk to] sponsors, shareholders and explain what was happening. That was the only thing.
"But there is a good motto 'play hard, forgive quickly and apologise when you're wrong'. The personal relationship [with Hamilton] doesn't suffer. If I put myself in his shoes, I can understand because the team wasn't doing very well.
"When you're in the last phase of your career, everyone wants to wear red overalls with a yellow prancing horse. Probably the financial terms were also very positive. So I got my head around it and I have absolute peace with him in my relationship."
He further clarified: "We haven't divorced as friends."
This revelation follows Hamilton's cryptic remarks this season hinting at a belief that his team-mate George Russell might be receiving favoured treatment. In another twist, Mercedes has sought police assistance to look into an anonymous email alleging that Hamilton's car was being "sabotaged" - a claim that Wolff and the team strongly refute.
At the Spanish Grand Prix, Wolff made a firm commitment to tackle the issue head-on, responding to the disturbing email supposedly from a disgruntled Mercedes employee which was dramatically labelled "a potential death warrant for Lewis".
The email, addressed to Wolff, F1 boss Stefano Domenicali, FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem, as well as other major players in the paddock, was received on June 10, a day after the Canadian Grand Prix a race where Hamilton was overtaken by Russell on the penultimate lap. The complaint was looked into by Northamptonshire Police, who found no offence to have been committed.
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2024-06-29T15:43:08Z dg43tfdfdgfd