Hamilton’s Ferrari deal not a surprise but timing was – Wolff،
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff insisted Lewis Hamilton's decision to move to Ferrari in 2025 was no surprise, but admitted the timing, just three weeks before the opening day of tests of the new season, was.
The 2024 season will be Hamilton's last with the team that won him six of his seven world titles, and the 39-year-old described his split with Mercedes as “one of the hardest decisions” he has made. he never had to take.
The news comes just five months after Hamilton signed a two-year contract with Mercedes for 2024 and 2025, but with an exit clause that allowed him to force a split at the end of the upcoming season.
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Wolff learned of Hamilton's plan when the two men met for breakfast Wednesday morning, the day before announcing the news to the world.
“When we re-signed the contract with Lewis, we opted for a shorter duration, so the events are not a surprise, but maybe the timing is,” Wolff said.
“What happened was we met for coffee at my house in Oxford and he was going back to the factory. [this week]and he told me that he had decided to race for Ferrari in 2025.
“That was basically it and we had a good hour of conversation and this is where we are.”
Wolff said he had heard rumors in the build-up to his meeting with Hamilton and said the seven-time champion's desire to race for Ferrari had not surprised him.
“In a way, Formula 1 and my previous life have made me insensitive to surprises. I have been confronted with black swans so many times in my life that it was a surprise, but as I said before, we opened our eyes to this phase of our relationship.
“We knew it could take a year, or two [before Hamilton left]; we knew it would end no later than the end of 2025. The surprise was that I had heard the rumors a few days earlier, but I wanted to wait until the breakfast we had planned, and it was Wednesday morning. That's when he broke the news.
“But you know with me, you can be very direct because I am too. So once he said 'this is what I'm trying to do,' it was done and I didn't I didn't try to convince him otherwise, but just looking to the future: “OK, what are we doing in terms of communication? What is the timing? How can we best protect the team? And how can we protect this year 2024 to succeed together with our two pilots without causing too much inconvenience?
Wolff said late last year that he believed his driver was still fully committed to Mercedes, but he understood why Hamilton had changed his mind.
“I can't tell you exactly [the reasons for Hamilton’s decision]all I know is we were very aligned when we went into the Christmas period and I think we said that publicly and as a team,” Wolff added. “You have to ask Lewis why he changed his mind.
“The way he presented the situation to me is perfectly understandable, he needed a new challenge and he was looking for a different environment and this was perhaps the last opportunity to do something else.
“We are big boys, we knew that signing a short-term contract could benefit both parties. We could not commit to a longer period and he took the option to withdraw.
“So in a way we totally respect the fact that you can change your mind in different circumstances, and move to Ferrari maybe for the last pinnacle of your career, maybe rolling the dice a little bit, I can follow this decision.
“Every racing driver dreams of being in a red suit and in the red car. We have already talked about it several times, it would be exciting to do one day. But over the years we have come to the conclusion that staying at Mercedes and finishing the legacy here is something to be proud of.
“But I never ignore the possibility of change — whether it's Ferrari or another team — so that's what it is. The fact didn't surprise me at all, perhaps. be the timing, but I can understand where he was coming from and it was to protect the interests of the team going forward.
Wolff said he was fully aware that the contract he signed with Hamilton last year would allow for this scenario and that Mercedes was open to it as it offered the team the potential to approach rival drivers.
However, he admits that the recent signings of Charles Leclerc to a long-term contract with Ferrari and Lando Norris to McLaren beyond 2026 have limited Mercedes' options.
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“When we decided that we and Lewis would go for a short-term contract, we knew why we were doing it. It's to keep options open for him and at the same time for us. It's an exciting situation at the end of 2024 with some pilots. being available, others signed a few weeks ago, so those would have been opportunities.
“If it was six weeks earlier there would have been more opportunities, but it is what it is. But in 2025 and beyond the driver market is very interesting and we have to look to the future .”
“Who can we partner with George? What's the best combo? What's the best combination? And I think in terms of drivers who could hopefully join us, who could join us, there's a variety of options. At this point I wouldn't want to commit to that, that's when we're going to do it. I want to take my time.
When asked about potential replacements, Wolff said he wanted to keep options open.
“I haven't really thought with the team about where we want to go. From beginner to very experienced because I don't know yet what is best for a potential upcoming driver or for the team in the future .Let me tell you If you had told me two days ago that Lewis would go to Ferrari, I didn't think it was possible.
“Situations and things can change quickly. Contracts are only as good as the driver or teams wish to race and who knows what is happening in the driver market that might be unexpected or provide opportunities for us .”
Wolff's mention of a rookie replacement raises the question of whether Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is about to embark on his first season in Formula 2, could be an option.
The 17-year-old was racing karting just two years ago and while Wolff wasn't ruling it out, he was reluctant to put any extra pressure on the Italian.
“Kimi has been at Mercedes since he was 11,” Wolff said. “He has been in the junior program and his career has been very successful. I think the most important thing at this stage is that he focuses on F2.”
If we start turning his head or starting rumors, it's not going to help his F2 campaign. He just left karts a few years ago. He's not even 18. I would prefer “Don't start speculation about Kimi entering F1 at this stage.”
