Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed why Mercedes would ‘like’ Lewis Hamilton to leave them for Ferrari next year.
Hamilton shocked the Formula 1 world at the start of this year when he revealed he would be leaving the team that helped him win six world championships for one of their rivals.
He signed a multi-year contract with Ferrari and has three races left until he trades his overalls and car for red and begins his collaboration with Charles Leclerc at his new team.
It will end a 12-year relationship between Mercedes and seven-time world champion Hamilton, with the Briton joining the team in 2013.
But it’s a move that not only Hamilton, but also his boss, Wolff, is happy to see happening – and the Austrian explained why with a five-word message to his current driver.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has explained why he ‘likes’ Lewis Hamilton (photo) to leave
Wolff (pictured) spoke about the departure of his star man, which was announced earlier this year
Hamilton and Wolff have been working together for more than ten years and have enjoyed great success
“Everyone has an expiration date,” he told Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane author Matt Whyman, adding: “We are in a sport where cognitive acuity is extremely important.
‘I definitely had it on my radar that Lewis would go. I just couldn’t understand why he would move to another team before we knew if we would be competitive.
‘It also didn’t give me time to react, I had to call our emergency partners and I may have missed negotiations with other drivers who had signed contracts a few weeks earlier, such as Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.
‘[But] I like the situation. It helps us because it avoids the moment where we have to tell the sport’s most iconic driver that we want to retire.”
Hamilton is now 39 and the second oldest driver on next year’s grid, behind former teammate Fernando Alonso, who is 43.
He will be replaced at Mercedes by 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who currently participates in Formula 2 and will make his debut in Formula 1.
The teenager will work with George Russell, who is 26 and switched to Mercedes in 2022.
“I have to look at the next generation,” said Wolff, who also joined Mercedes in 2013. ‘It’s the same in football.
He said he had to look to the future, with Hamilton being the second oldest on next year’s grid at 39
He will be replaced at Mercedes by 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli (photo), who will become the partner of 26-year-old George Russell
Hamilton plays a strange message on his team radio after a difficult weekend in Brazil
‘Managers like Sir Alex Ferguson or Pep Guardiola, they anticipated it in the performances of their top stars and brought in junior players who would manage the team for years to come.’
Hamilton struggled last time out in Brazil in what was a stop-start season, qualifying 16th and finishing only 10th.
He raised eyebrows after the race when he told the team radio: ‘That was a disaster of a weekend, guys. The worst the car has ever been. Thanks for your contribution to the attempt, and great job to all the guys at the pit stop.
“If this is the last time I get to perform, it’s a shame it wasn’t great, but I’m grateful.”
It was the latest result in a run that has seen Hamilton struggle in the latter stages of the season, failing to find a podium in any of the last seven races.
He won two races earlier this season, but is seventh in the drivers’ championship, under Russell and Carlos Sainz, who he will replace at Ferrari.
However, he will complete the remaining three races of the season in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi before parting ways with the team.
Hamilton is chasing an illustrious eighth world title that would put him clear on the most titles ever won by a driver, ahead of Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher, who is also on seven.
However, former Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has told Mail Sport’s F1 Confidential that he believes Hamilton cannot do it despite switching teams.
“I don’t think so,” said Ecclestone, who turned 94 last week. “I don’t think it will be easy for Lewis.
‘Especially on that team. They will support Charles Leclerc. He’s fast and grew up there. They won’t dump him for anyone.’