Lewis Hamilton brought the curtain down on a 12-year spell with Mercedes when he joined Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season, and Toto Wolff has now opened up on their relationship
Toto Wolff claims that Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton are “still great friends” despite the seven-time world champion’s switch to Ferrari. The British racing icon has faced challenges adapting to his new team, while his old partnership has kicked off the season on a high note.
After leaving McLaren, Hamilton spent 12 seasons with Mercedes, securing six Drivers’ Championship titles for Wolff’s team as they dominated the turbo-hybrid era.
So when his unexpected transfer to Ferrari was revealed in February last year, it sent shockwaves through the motorsport world and initiated a long separation from Wolff’s crew. Yet, the Mercedes team boss insists their bond with Hamilton is still very much intact.
“First of all, I want to avoid some headlines,” he said following free practice at the Miami Grand Prix. “We are still great friends with Lewis. I mean, I spent a lot of time with him travelling and still seeing him, and it came to a point last year where you know, it’s like you’re spending 12 years in a row on holiday with your best friend.
“At a certain stage, you say, maybe we do something else this time around. And for Lewis, he needed a refresh, a reinvention. Ferrari is iconic, no doubt about that. Certainly, you’ve also got the terms that were interesting for him.
“And with us, Kimi [Antonelli] was in the starting blocks, and eventually it was this year, or next year to bring him in. And bringing him in this year means we have a learning year before the new regulations kick in. He’s going to know all the tracks – for example, this one he’s never been [to] – and that felt like the right decision.”
Despite the massive buzz surrounding Hamilton’s high-profile switch to Maranello and the anticipation for the 2025 season, the results have largely been underwhelming.
Aside from a sprint race victory in Shanghai, Hamilton hasn’t managed to match the pace of his fellow Ferrari racer Charles Leclerc thus far – but Wolff knows his old friend will get back to his best soon enough.
“I think we’ve seen that magic in the [Shanghai] sprint race. He was completely dominating that race,” said Wolff, reflecting on Hamilton’s performance of late. “And it’s not like you have the magic in one race and then suddenly you lose your magic in the following one.
“I very much believe that it is still there. If he aligns all of his performance contributors, if he feels being in the right space, the car to his light liking, he will be stellar. I have no doubt about that.”
Sky Sports launches discounted Formula 1 package
Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky’s new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192.
As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
