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“You need to ask Lewis why he changed his mind” Toto Wolf Said on Triangular Contract Issues Between Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari and Mercedes
“You need to ask Lewis why he changed his mind” Toto Wolf Said on Triangular Contract Issues Between Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari and Mercedes
Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari did not come as a surprise to Mercedes and insists he holds “no grudge” against the seven-time world champion for leaving to join a rival.
Ferrari on Thursday stunned the sporting world by announcing that Hamilton will join for the 2025 season, despite the Brit having just five months earlier inked an extension with Mercedes that had been expected to keep the 39-year-old with the team until the end of the 2025 campaign.
Addressing the media in a virtual briefing on Friday, Mercedes team principal Wolff explained that the nature of the deal with Hamilton, which included a break clause after the 2024 season, had left him in little doubt that what will finish as a 12-year partnership was coming towards its end.
Wolff said: “When we signed the contract with Lewis, we opted for shorter term. So the events are not a surprise, maybe the timing.”
Asked what had changed since Hamilton’s final Mercedes contract was announced on August 31, Wolff replied: “I cannot tell you exactly. We were very aligned when we went into the Christmas period and I think we’ve said that in public and in the team. You need to ask Lewis why he changed his mind.
“How he framed it to me is perfectly understandable, that he needed a new challenge, that he was looking for a different environment, and that it was maybe the last possibility to do something else.
Toto Wolf Said on Triangular Contract Issues Between Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari and Mercedes
Hamilton, who has won six of seven drivers’ titles at Mercedes, was offered a “multi-year” deal by Ferrari that will keep him on the grid until at least 2026, a date further into the future than his current employers were willing to commit to.
“We’re big boys,” Wolff said. “We knew that by signing a short-term contract it could be of benefit for both sides. We couldn’t commit for a long period and he’s taken the option to exit.
“We totally respect that you can change your mind, there’s different circumstances. And switching for Ferrari maybe for the last bit of his career, maybe rolling the dice a little bit – I can follow that decision.
“Clearly the timing was surprising to us. But I guess what he tried to do is maybe to give us a long time to decide what we want to do next year going forward.”
As to why Mercedes had not been willing to commit to Hamilton, Wolff said that the team wanted to keep its own options open in regard to the drivers market, hinting that he had interest in McLaren’s Lando Norris and Hamilton’s future Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, both of whom signed contract extensions last week.
“When we decided, Lewis and us, to go for a very short-term contract, we knew why we were doing it,” Wolff said. “And it was to leave him options open and at the same time, us.
“There’s an exciting situation at the end of 2024 with some drivers becoming available. Others just signed a few weeks ago – so these ones would have been opportunities. So that timing, if it would have been six weeks earlier, there would have been more opportunities, but it is what it is.”
‘I hold no grudge’
Wolff, who has developed a close relationship with Hamilton during their time working together, was adamant that the friendship will endure and “no grudge” is being held.
Wolff revealed that Hamilton had told him over breakfast at the Austrian’s home on Wednesday of his decision.
“When he told me first, my next thought was pragmatic. What does it mean? When are we communicating this? What are the pressure points? How are we managing it this season going forward? And what is it we’re going to do in terms of driver line-up? The team’s mind kicked in.
“Now having slept a few nights on it, it means that our professional journey comes to an end, working together, but it doesn’t mean that our personal relationship ends. I’ve found a friend, we’ve built a relationship over the last 10 years.
“He faced a very, very difficult situation, taking a decision of where to drive, maybe for the first time in 10 years without being able to brainstorm with me. Therefore, I will always respect the difficulty of the situation that he faced. In the future, we will discuss whether this could have been done in a different way or not, but I hold no grudge.”
READ: F1 News: Mick Schumacher Lets Go Of Formula One Dream
As he turns his focus to finding a new team-mate for George Russell for the 2025 season, Wolff insists that he is not “hurt” on a personal level by Hamilton’s exit.
“It doesn’t hurt, because I need to keep the calm and decide how we’re going to best manage the 2024 season and what the decisions need to be going forward. It’s not like someone that I like a lot is disappearing, it’s just changing the team,” he said.
“We’ve been very conscious in signing the contract that it could happen. Maybe the timing was a surprise, but I’ve had many black swans swimming in front of me, the unexpected. And I think in F1 it’s all about agility, being able to embrace change of circumstances.”
‘I’d rather we win than Lewis gets eighth title at Ferrari’
Hamilton was cruelly denied a record eighth title at the final race of the 2021 season when a controversial ruling from race director Michael Masi gifted Mav Verstappen a maiden drivers’ crown.
The Dutchman has since dominated the sport, with Red Bull winning all but one race in a historically dominant 2023 campaign.
While Wolff admits “the odds are against” Mercedes outperforming Red Bull in 2024, he insists the team will remain motivated to avenge Hamilton’s 2021 pain during his final season with the team.
“We have a year to go, we have 2024 together,” Wolff said. “We want to make it the most successful we can.
“Is it realistic that we are competing for a world championship against Max in a Red Bull? You know I’m a probability person, and the odds are against us. But nevertheless, we will give it our best shot.”
Wolff did, however, clarify that once Hamilton has left, the Brit securing an eighth title will no longer be his priority.
“When we talked about giving it all for an eighth, that is Lewis in a Mercedes. Lewis in a different car is obviously a totally different story.
“We will be giving it everything we have to win drivers’ and constructors’ championships in the years to come in the same way as we want to win it in 2024, but maybe with another driver.
“But it doesn’t take anything away from historic legacy that will always exist. This journey together will be in the history books, as much as the next journey of a Mercedes driver will hopefully also be there.
“The friend side in me that says he should have an eighth because that was taken away from him. So if he wins that in 2024, that would be a great thing. Going forward, competing on track, I’d rather us win.”
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‘It won’t last forever’ – Max Verstappen warned about Red Bull downfall with Lewis Hamilton
Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has warned that, while Max Verstappen is the current dominant force in Formula 1, “all good things come to an end.”
Verstappen has won 21 of the last 23 races and has broken the record for number of victories in a calendar year in each of the last two seasons, with 15 in 2022 and 19 last season, and has already taken to the top step four times out of five in 2024.
Max Verstappen dominance warning: ‘It won’t last forever’
Formula 1 can often be characterised by eras of driver and team dominance in the sport, with the likes of McLaren and Williams holding the sport under their control in the 1980s and ’90s, before Ferrari and Michael Schumacher were the outright force in the early 2000s, and Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel won four title doubles in a row before Mercedes took charge in the turbo hybrid era.
The switch to ground effect aerodynamics has seen Red Bull surge to the top once again, particularly in Verstappen’s hands, which has left 2021 title rival and seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton without a race win in 50 rounds.
Steiner made this point in comparing Verstappen’s success to Hamilton’s current barren run by his standards, but is also wary of the fact that these eras have a habit of ending abruptly.
“Red Bull and Max Verstappen are obviously doing a fantastic job right now. They are dominating,” Steiner wrote in a pre-Miami column for Formula1.com.
“I really respect Sergio Perez, he’s a very good driver – but he can’t get near Max right now. Max is on a different planet.
“He is already one of the greatest ever in his era, like Lewis Hamilton was a few years ago.
“When you’re on a wave like this, you have the confidence, you’re happy with life and nothing goes wrong.
“But all good things come to an end. It won’t last forever – just look at Lewis right now.
“It’s no surprise Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is interested in signing Max. Will Max leave Red Bull? He is in a good place.”
The next regulation reset in Formula 1 is coming in 2026, with the proposed power units bringing about a change in power to make the cars a 50/50 split between combustion and electric power in the hybrid engines, along with a switch to sustainable fuel.
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Alex Bowman’s angry radio exchange that caused trouble with Kyle Larson at Dover decoded by Corey
Alex Bowman’s angry radio exchange that caused trouble with Kyle Larson at Dover decoded by Corey
Alex Bowman had a decent day in Dover with a top-10 finish. But it didn’t come without some drama as Bowman and his spotter, Kevin Hamlin, exchanged some fiery words at one point in the race. Talking about this exchange between Bowman and his spotter, as well as the preceding incident between Bowman and Kyle Larson, Corey LaJoie took a shot at decoding the whole situation.
Speaking on his podcast Stacking Pennies, LaJoie discussed what happened between the two Hendrick drivers and the subsequent radio exchange between Bowman and his spotter.
“There was a little bit of beef apparently between the #48 and the #5. The #48 was having a good run up there in top 5,” LaJoie said.
The exchange, in the eyes of Ryan ‘Skip’ Flores, the co-host of Stacking Pennies, was simply Bowman being honest with the whole situation.
“He was mad at the #5 car air blocking him. The #5 was running for the stage win I believe. He’s mad at the #5 air blocking and he’s ‘expletive’ about it and (Kevin) Hamlin says go up there and pass him, he’s not gonna give it to you. And then he tried to pep talk him and Alex told him shove it,” Flores said.
In the end, LaJoie wrapped it up by claiming that what happened between Bowman and Larson and Bowman and his spotter was simply part of racing.
“Hey, it’s a very high-pressure situation. You feel like you’re in there riding around. You’d think your teammate of all people would air block you less, but hey, it’s racing man,” LaJoie said.
Speaking after the race, Alex Bowman was asked about his radio exchange with spotter Kevin Hamlin. During the race, Bowman made a sly remark on Larson, after which he received an earful from his spotter.
“He’s not gonna pull over for you. You’ve gotta go ‘expletive’ earn it, let’s go. #5 elbows up, let’s go. Dudes are gonna give you ‘expletive’ all day, you’ve just taken, you’ve done awesome, drive like an
‘expletive’ the rest of the race, stay locked in, *expletive* them all let’s
go,” Kevin Hamlin told his driver. [00:12]
In response, Bowman asked his spotter to just let him focus on the race. After the race, when asked about his exchange with Kevin, Alex Bowman simply refused to elaborate on it.
“No. I don’t have any clickbait for you there, buddy,” he said (via Frontstretch).
As for his race result, Bowman opined that it wasn’t “the greatest” but they’ll move on to the next one.
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NASCAR Issues: Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson are at again
Though Hendrick Motorsports couldn’t figure out a way to win in Dover on Sunday, it had a remarkable race day. Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott both finished inside the top-5 after starting from outside the top-20. At the end of the 400 laps on the Monster Mile, Larson retained his lead at the top of the points table and Elliott sat third.
The race began for Larson from 21st place in the #5 Chevrolet Camaro. Refusing to idle around, he found his way into the top 10 as early as Lap 53. He broke into the top 5 on Lap 107 and finished Stage 1 in 5th place. Crew Chief Cliff Daniels made the call to bring Larson to the pit ahead of most others and kickstarted a play that worked out splendidly.
Larson ended up winning Stage 2. From there, a long cat and mouse game went down between him and Denny Hamlin. Courtesy of quicker pit stops, better restarts, and the aero-block advantage, Hamlin managed to pull ahead and stay there. “I was trying all sorts of different angles and speeds. Nothing could generate enough speed to get close enough to do anything,” Larson said after the race.
Ultimately, he finished as the runner-up, a mere 0.256 seconds behind Hamlin. The result was his second runner-up finish of the year. He led 39 laps throughout the race bringing his 2024 total to 570, highest in the grid. Putting up an almost equal caliber of performance from behind the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro was Chase Elliott.
The 2020 Cup Series champion started his campaign from further behind Larson, in 29th place. He cut open the top-10 on Lap 70 and finished Stage 1 in 9th place. Despite having an early scare when his car hit the wall, the run continued as he maintained a top-10 spot throughout Stage 2. He finished the stage in 5th place after passing Tyler Reddick and Kyle Busch, the same spot in which he finished his race.
How did William Byron and Alex Bowman fare in Dover?
Byron started his race in 3rd place. After leading for a brief while in Stage 1, he finished in 2nd place. Midway through Stage 2, he complained of feeling “a little too tight center of (turns) three and four.” Subsequently, he was pitted on Lap 183. Tragedy struck as his car fell off the jack before the stop was complete and he lost significant time on the road.
In the final stage, he got caught in a multi-car incident involving Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and Zane Smith. The chaos ended his day and he finished in 33rd place. The result ended his five-race top-10 streak. Alex Bowman had a better day than Byron. He started the race from 9th position and finished 8th. He displayed strong speed midway through the race but the balance on his car began taking a hit towards race end.
“It was still a good points day and a step in the right direction,” he said after his fourth straight top-10 finish in Dover. “It’s a little more consistent than we’ve seen, so hopefully we can keep plugging away at it.” The next event on the schedule for Rick Hendrick’s men is at the Kansas Speedway. The 12th race of the ongoing season will go down on May 5.
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