Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff have worked together for the past 11 years (Image: Getty)
boss is thankful that ‘s upcoming switch to has saved him from a potentially awkward conversation with his long-serving driver.
Wolff and Hamilton have built up a healthy working relationship across more than a decade together at the Silver Arrows, even if performances have tailed off since a new set of design regulations were introduced ahead of the 2022 season. The team’s success has landed Hamilton with six of his seven world titles.
With the Brit approaching his 40th birthday, he has decided to take a leap of faith and finish career with . Upcoming Grands Prix in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi are therefore all that remain in his career.
While losing a driver of Hamilton’s calibre is naturally a stinging blow for Wolff, the team principal has admitted that it spared him the possibility of one day breaking it to the seven-time world champion that he was too old for his contract to be renewed.
“I would have done it,” Wolff told . “But that would have been a real horror for me and for him.”
It is unclear whether Wolff would have deemed Hamilton past his best at the end of this season had the decision not been made for him. The 39-year-old is two points behind team-mate in the Drivers’ Championship and he has been growing increasingly frustrated with the car’s performance in recent weeks.
Don’t miss…
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our
Kimi Antonelli is replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes (Image: Getty)
Furthermore, Hamilton’s exit has given 18-year-old talent Kimi Antonelli a chance to show his worth alongside Russell next year.
The multi-year deal Hamilton has signed with means that he will continue racing well into his forties. Wolff is adamant that the end of their working partnership will not signal the end of their overall relationship, and it will instead be the dawn of a new beginning.
Read more…
“There is an emotional side [to the move] because we’ve been on this journey together,” said the team principal. “The friendship will change, but not the depth of emotion. On the contrary. This will be a new friendship with Lewis.
“On the professional side, I always see benefits in change. We have new regulations, we have reshaped our organisation and we’re embarking on a new era with our senior driver [Russell] turning 27 and the junior driver [Antonelli] being 18. We have two drivers barely older together than Lewis. That’s very exciting.”