The head of the Mercedes Formula One team, Toto Loboadmitted this Friday through videoconference that the explosive change of Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari starting in 2025 it was a surprise when the seven-time world champion broke the news two days before a traditional breakfast usually held at the Wolf home in Oxford after the winter break.
“Formula One and my past life have made me resistant to surprises. I have faced black swans many times in my life, but this is a surprise,” the Austrian told reporters in a video call on Friday .
“We know it could be a year, it could be two. We know it will be finished no later than the end of 2025“he said about the latest contract extension with a termination clause that Hamilton and Mercedes They signed in August.
“The surprise was that I heard the first rumors a couple of days before, but I wanted to wait for the breakfast we had planned and that was on Wednesday morning. That’s when he told me the news,” Toto revealed.
“He told me he decided to race for Ferrari in 2025. And that’s it. We had a good time talking.”
Wolf He knew that the end of their common history would come sooner rather than later. “To me, it’s completely understandable how he said… that he was looking for a different environment and maybe this was the last possibility to do something different. We’re all older.”
“We know that signing a short-term contract can be beneficial for both parties. We cannot commit to a longer period and he has made the option to leave and we fully respect that you can change your mind to others’ other circumstances.”
Wolff, who discussed it with the Mercedes team on Thursday before it became official, also did not want to be pressured hamilton to change his mind, but he is focused on the timing of the announcement and how to protect next season. In fact, he was asked about the next step: Hamilton’s replacement and in his favor half of the grid ends their contract in 2024.
“A bold move”
needed George Russell under contract also makes the decision on the second driver “more comfortable” and very different from 2016, when Nico Rosberg surprised everyone by retiring days after winning the title for Mercedes. “Maybe it’s an opportunity to do something bold,” suggested Wolff, who argues that Russell has the potential to be the team’s next great driver after the “face-off” with Hamilton.
“He’s from the generation of Lando (Norris) and Leclerc and some of the others and he doesn’t want to have a better new team leader when Lewis leaves.”
And the Austrian warned that “we have a strong base, very fast, smart and intelligent people in the car that we just have to make the right decision for the second seat. And that’s not something I want to rush. “
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
