Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team principal, has shared his thoughts on the timing of Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari and how it impacted the team’s driver selection process.
Hamilton’s unexpected announcement that he would leave Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025 caught the F1 world by surprise.
This move sets the stage for a partnership between one of the sport’s greatest drivers and the most successful team in F1 history.
Hamilton revealed his decision before the 2024 season began, giving Mercedes ample time to find a replacement.
Early on, Wolff expressed interest in bringing Max Verstappen to Mercedes, especially after some uncertainty surrounded Red Bull.
Other big names like Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel were also considered, but eventually, Mercedes opted to sign 18-year-old Italian star Kimi Antonelli to partner George Russell starting in 2025.
Wolff admitted that Hamilton’s announcement caught him off guard, although he had been warned by Sainz’s father about the possibility of Hamilton joining Ferrari.
In his new book Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane, Wolff revealed that the timing of Hamilton’s decision prevented him from acting quickly.
“I definitely had it on my radar that Lewis would go,” Wolff said, but he was surprised that Hamilton made the move before Mercedes had a clear picture of their future competitiveness.
This left Wolff scrambling to contact their partners, and by then, other top drivers like Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris had already signed with other teams.
