Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is aware he could lose Hamilton with his contract with Mercedes set to expire at the end of the 2023 Formula 1 season. Lewis Hamilton is expected to start looking elsewhere as his team’s difficulties continue and look unlikely to be dramatically resolved anytime soon.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits his team’s struggles are likely to mean seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton suddenly wants to look elsewhere.
Wolff desperate
Having struggled since the first race of the season in Bahrain, Mercedes has been working tirelessly to try and find a solution to make the W14 more efficient. But if this situation continues, which is expected to, it would mean that Lewis Hamilton – whose contract expires at the end of this year – will join another more competitive team.
Asked if he feared Hamilton would start talking to rivals if the team’s difficulties continued, Wolff said:
“I don’t think Lewis will leave Mercedes now. He is at a stage in his career where we trust each other.” said the Austrian optimistically,
The Mercedes boss continues to explain the historical ‘bond’ they have together saying that “We have formed a great bond with each other and we have no reason to doubt each other, even if it is a difficult time. It will be so good when we come out of these difficulties and get back to solid performances.”
But the reality is Lewis Hamilton still has driver ambition, something Wolff is fully aware of:
“As a driver, though, if he wants to win another championship, he has to make sure he has the car. If we can’t demonstrate that we are capable of giving him a car in the next two years, then he will have to look everywhere.” a cloudy timescale described, the Austrian quickly correcting that:
“I don’t think he’s going to do it at this stage…
“but I wouldn’t complain if it happened in a year’s time.”
Hamilton finger pointing
Toto Wolff also reacted to Lewis Hamilton’s recent comments in the media when the seven-time world champion said Mercedes “didn’t listen to him” regarding the development of the 2023 car, with the Austrian insisting there was no tension internally.
It is Hamilton’s view, it was now “up to our designers and aerodynamicists to take responsibility and admit I was right.”
“Last year, I told my team all sorts of things. I told what all the problems were. I have driven so many race cars in my life. I know what a car needs and what a car doesn’t need.” said Hamilton to the BBC,
“It’s about responsibility,” he continued.
“It’s about admitting and saying ‘you know, we didn’t listen to you, the car is not where it should be’. We need to work on that…”
Wolff reacts
Wolff continues to be calm about Hamilton’s comments to the BBC, obviously trying not to make a big deal of it, clinging onto hope that things could change with the W14 and Hamilton stays:
“We talk all the time, we know each other so well. We know there are emotions at play with him, me, and with many others in the team.”
“Sometimes you say things that in the media are very quickly translated in a controversial or polarising way, but inside the team never cause a ripple, because we know that emotions can run high.”
“To be honest, if I see a lap time deficit or a race not going well, I would also like to say that I am not happy about the car that has been developed. That’s fine, because inside the team we want the emotion to be strong.”
“When something is not going well, we say so and nobody will take it the wrong way in the team,” Wolff concluded.
READ MORE: Mercedes ‘civil war’ set to continue
Not sure that the MB board enjoys the Austrian’s bootlicking to his majesty? Where are the days when true champions would work behind closed doors with a team to resolve issues, than to pity yourself in public when your car is not at least 20% faster than anyone else on track.
O ya, then you actually have to take time out of your busy swj-schedule and WORK 😡
I’m not sure the new Red Bull owners like Maxipad and the attitude of his father, Jos the toss.
Just retire already, both Lewis and Toto, clearly George, finds value in the car, and going forward can develop with it, so stick to the car and George and line up another driver and team boss for 2024.
Hamilton’s finger pointing: “Last year, I told my team all sorts of things. I have driven so many race cars in my life. I know what a car needs and what a car doesn’t need. It’s about admitting and saying ‘you know, we didn’t listen to you, the car is not where it should be’.”
So it is for everyone else to take responsibility, but not for Hamilton. Any driver can say what a car needs. If he is such an expert, why does Hamilton not give the solution too?
Let him take responsibility for his poor driving, confess to his mediocre driving skills, stop acting like a messiah and leave the others out of his wokeness. Yes, one more thing : Just get lost!!