F1 News: Toto Wolff Reveals Friction With Ferrari Boss After Lewis Hamilton News - "Didn't Tell Me"
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes Formula 1 team boss, has opened up about the unexpected revelation of Lewis Hamilton's departure to Ferrari for 2025. The news, which surfaced just before the season started, hinted at underlying tensions and took Wolff by surprise due to the late disclosure from Ferrari's Fred Vasseur.
Key Takeaways:
- Lewis Hamilton is set to join Ferrari in 2025, having activated a break clause in his Mercedes contract.
- Toto Wolff was caught off guard by the timing of the announcement, though he maintains a positive relationship with Hamilton.
- Communication between Wolff and Vasseur reveals the complexities of F1's competitive yet intertwined personal relationships.
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In a revealing discussion with the press, Toto Wolff shared insights into the intricate dynamics of Formula 1's driver market and team relationships. The announcement of Lewis Hamilton's switch to Ferrari in 2025 was a pivotal moment, with Wolff admitting the news itself wasn't unexpected, but the timing was.
"I think you know when the news broke clearly it is a new situation it’s somewhat something that we didn’t anticipate happening at that stage of the season and it’s a new dynamic and that’s clearly something we have to work on."
The Mercedes Team Principal highlighted the strength of his relationship with Hamilton, emphasising their shared goal to conclude their partnership on a high note.
"We want to have the best competitive car, both drivers given the opportunity to do the best possible results and how great would it be to finish on a high with Lewis this year and we’ve had wonderful times and 10 more months to go and we keep it all."
The dialogue between Wolff and Vasseur suggests a complex friendship strained by professional rivalry. Wolff's candid reaction to the delayed communication from Vasseur was telling:
“No, he didn’t do a good job!
“We are friends since a long time and in the same way, we are knowledge that we are competitors on tracks. And so that is a balancing act that is not always easy, because we have the duty and the obligation to perform to the best of our abilities for the interest of our team. And this is what Fred has done in that situation.
“I understand the rationale. Obviously, it’s not always easy in such a good relationship to know how to handle that, but it has no effects or no repercussion on the relationship that I will have with Fred.
“When I sent Fred a WhatsApp two days before he didn’t reply, so I guess I knew. But then, no, Fred didn’t tell me, Lewis felt that he wanted to tell me first.”
There will likely be a significant change in the professional relationship between Lewis and Toto this season, with the driver expecting to be kept out of development talks due to his moving to Ferrari. But the Austrian businessman has admitted that while it was "awkward", they're finding their footing now.
"And it may have been awkward at the beginning of how are we doing this for the rest of the season. But now everything has fallen into place and you know it’s just a concentration of the moment and the next race is to come.”