Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admits he was surprised by Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari, but says he will not hold a “grudge” against the seven-time world champion.
On Thursday, Hamilton shocked the Formula 1 world with the announcement that he will join Ferrari for the 2025 season, just over five months after signing a new contract with Mercedes.
Hamilton – who has won six of his seven drivers’ championships since teaming up with Mercedes in 2013 – will take Carlos Sainz’s seat with the Scuderia, with the Spaniard now on the lookout for a new team for 2025.
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On Friday, Wolff revealed Hamilton had visited him to explain his decision earlier this week and said there was nothing he could do to change the 39-year-old’s mind.
“We got together for coffee at my place in Oxford. He said to me he had decided to race for Ferrari in 2025 and that was basically it. We had a good hour of conversation,” Wolff said.
“Formula 1 has made me resilient to surprises, but it was a surprise. Once he said, ‘this is what I’m trying to do’, that was the fact. I didn’t try to convince him otherwise.
Team Statement
Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract. pic.twitter.com/moEMqUgzXH
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 1, 2024
“It means that our professional journey comes to an end, but it doesn’t mean our personal relationship ends. I have found a friend. We have built a relationship over the past 10 years.
“I will always respect the difficult situation he faced. In the future we can discuss whether this could have been done in a different way or not, but I will hold no grudge.”
Hamilton has failed to win a race since missing out on a record-breaking eighth world title in controversial fashion at the end of the 2021 season, with Max Verstappen capturing three straight crowns during a period of dominance for Red Bull.
Wolff hopes Mercedes can provide Hamilton with the tools to enjoy a more memorable campaign in 2024, before turning their attention to building a new era of success.
“He felt he needed a change and I can understand that,” Wolff said of Hamilton’s decision. “We have had tremendous success.
“We shared the opinion when we decided to sign a short-term contract that there may be opportunities for him and for us.
“Maybe one consideration was the opportunity to sign a longer-term contract with Ferrari and give it a really big go at the end of his career.
“We have had a sensational journey together that will go down in the history books.
“We want to finish on a high in terms of his [Mercedes] career, but we will build another phase of success, and we will look back on this very good time with Lewis.”
One to remember 👊 pic.twitter.com/gwQ8f3Hbol
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 2, 2024
