Sports
“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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Sports
“How young is too young” Underage Driver Wrecking Dale Earnhardt Jr’s CARS Had Caused Commotion
“How young is too young” Underage Driver Wrecking Dale Earnhardt Jr’s CARS Had Caused Commotion
Young drivers entering NASCAR is not new. While prime examples include Chase Elliott, who debuted in the K&N Pro Series at 15, and 17-year-old Connor Zilisch who competes in Xfinity, from time to time, people still wonder if the organization’s age limit is too low. Case in point, recently an underage driver wreaked havoc at a Dale Earnhardt Jr-owned CARS Tour race. The unfortunate incident inevitably saw fans questioning NASCAR’s age-related stance.
And it’s safe to say that the driver being who suffered the aftermath of the wreck wasn’t happy either!
When stock car racing took root in the late 1940s, NASCAR’s premier series was limited to people 21 or older. Usually, drivers between 35-45 years of age were regarded as prime. But the turn of the 21st century has encouraged youngsters to try their hands at the steering wheel. Take Dale Jr, for example, who got his NASCAR debut at 22!
However, now the age limit may be further plummeting down even lower! Although the sanctioned age to drive full-time in NASCAR’s top-three touring series is 18, other affiliated series are flexible. And this flexibility put Late Model sensation Landon Huffman in serious danger.
Notably, when Dale Earnhardt Jr announced his CARS Tour ownership alongside three other veterans, he gave an interesting insight. He grew up racing Late Model races on the West Coast, and hence underlined experience as important. “What seems so simple to us, because we have been around it our whole lives, is not so simple to the weekly competitor who is struggling to get to the track or has a question about what is right or wrong or what he should or shouldn’t do,” the JR Motorsports team owner opined.
But something happened recently that directly contradicted Dale Earnhardt Jr’s philosophy, as an inexperienced racer sparked chaos at a CARS Tour race at Ace Speedway. Late Model sensation Landon Huffman washed up against an unexpected debacle. While battling for the lead, an underage racer violently pushed Hoffman’s car to the wall, as the latter’s roof came off. Huffman shared the video on X.
Jumior’s popular driver also proclaimed his intense dislike for NASCAR’s falling age limit. He wrote in another tweet, attaching his car’s picture after the wreck, “Led over half of the second twin and then this. Exhibit A why kids under the age of 14 should not be driving late model stock cars”.
Huffman’s views echo some veteran drivers’ opinions. Last year, Tony Stewart was baffled at some racing series picking up 12-14-year-old kids. “It makes zero sense to me,” he had said at the time. On the other hand, RFK Racing owner Brad Keselowski also empathized with the children, who he believes are missing out on their teenage growth. “We hurt them in their ability to develop their own lives,” he shared.
But that’s not all. After Huffman’s terrifying accident, NASCAR fans are also getting active on the same topic. Looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr’s series got a few raps for allowing children to compete.
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Chase Elliott is F**kingly Rich- Expensive things owned by Him Exposed
Being the son of former NASCAR champion Bill Elliott and a six-time recipient of the NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award, Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott remains one of the wealthiest drivers on the grid. Part of that wealth funds the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion’s lavish lifestyle.
Elliott, who has a net worth of $12 million (according to Celebrity Net Worth), indulges in a lifestyle filled with luxury and opulence, owning several expensive items that offer a glimpse into his extravagant world.
In this article, we take a closer look at the lavish lifestyle of Chase Elliott: The 28-year-old driver resides in a luxurious mansion situated in the Georgia mountains in Dawsonville, Georgia. The three bedroom, fourbathroom mansion spans three floors, boasting an open-concept layout on the main floor with a kitchen, living room, and half-bathroom, while the second story houses three bedrooms.
2. Motorhome
To navigate the demanding NASCAR season schedule, Elliott owns a luxurious Prevost motorhome, estimated to cost between $800,000 to $2 million. Customized to his preferences, the 47-foot motorcoach features a front entrance with driver and co-driver seats, a lobby area equipped with two televisions and a video game console, and an iPadcontrolled system for managing lights, temperature, and security.
3. Private Jet
Elliott’s passion for flying is evident in his ownership of a $1.8 million Cessna Citation 525 private jet. Beyond mere transportation, Chase Elliott has admitted that flying serves as a distraction for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, allowing him to focus on activities away from the racetrack
4. First car
Right off the bat, Chase Elliott made his stance clear when he revealed during an appearance in the Pat McAfee show that the Hendrick Motorsports driver was not a car collector. While the fact may come as a surprise for many given Elliott’s profession, he admitted that racing was his “speed fix.”
However, Chase Elliott did own a car once, and a very special one at that. A teenage Elliott, who was still coming through the ranks of Super Late Model Racing, was gifted a Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck by his parents Bill and Cindy Elliott.
In addition to his lavish possessions, the former Cup Series champion enjoys spending time on the golf course, indulging in his passion for the sport.
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Mercedes declares its prestaties Hamilton: “Lewis has become the slachtoffer van”
Lewis Hamilton probably imagined his last year at Mercedes differently. The Briton performs very poorly in the slow W15 and is regularly unable to keep up with teammate George Russell . The result? 27 meager points and ninth place in the championship. But why is that? Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director , tries to explain it using the set-up. Hamilton experiments quite often.
“It’s mainly about learning more about the car,” Shovlin told Auto, Motor und Sport . “Lewis is often open to major changes to the set-up this year. He wants to know better how he can get the most out of the car. Lewis has sometimes fallen victim to that, but if you don’t change anything, you don’t learn anything. It would be wrong to say: ‘it is what it is, let’s make the best of it’.
Shovlin also believes that Mercedes should come up with a solution. It’s not entirely Hamilton’s fault. “The bottom line is that we need to find a better balance. Then we don’t have to constantly deal with compromises. Often we solve one problem and get another in return. The goal should be to have a strong front axle without that it is at the expense of stability at the rear. The car must also turn well in the slow corners without causing oversteer in the fast corners.”
Mercedes just hasn’t found that balance yet, Shovlin admits. “We have not yet managed to be competitive everywhere and we cannot achieve that in one race. That is what we are currently working on. We no longer want to choose between being fast in slow or fast corners. If If you adjust the car low to the ground, you are fast in the slow corners due to the downforce produced. However, in the fast corners there is a possibility that you will hit the asphalt. The reverse works exactly the same you get maximum downforce in the fast corners, but you pay the price in the slow corners. It is difficult to find the compromise over an entire lap.”
