Wolff Reflects on Hamilton’s ‘Bruising’ Departure to Ferrari: Embracing the End of an Era at Mercedes

Toto Wolff acknowledges the "painful" nature of Lewis Hamilton's departure from Mercedes. "I understand his reasons for leaving. I'm at peace with his decision."

Toto Wolff has acknowledged that Lewis Hamilton's exit from Mercedes had its harsh aspects.

Before the start of this season, Hamilton communicated to the principal and part-owner of the Mercedes F1 team his decision that this season would be their final one as a team, revealing his plans to move to Ferrari in 2025

This weekend, during the F1 British Grand Prix, will mark Hamilton's last race at Silverstone for the Mercedes team.

In an exclusive interview with Martin Brundle from Sky Sports, Wolff discussed a particularly difficult aspect of Hamilton's departure.

"Wolff expressed that the real challenge was the lack of time to respond," he remarked.

"I asked, 'alright, what's our plan for making this announcement?'"

"It was evident that the leakage originated from Ferrari."

Considering the situation from his perspective, he's approaching the end of his professional journey, and the team’s performance has been lacking. It's a common aspiration to don the red suit adorned with the emblem of a leaping stallion. Likely, the financial agreement was beneficial as well.

I understand his reasons for acting that way. I'm at ease with him; our connection is profoundly deep.

For a dozen years, we have stood together as companions and partners, united in our clandestine endeavors.

"He'll compete on the track, but we remain friends despite that."

"I wasn't able to reach out to our sponsors and shareholders in time to clarify the current situation."

Wolff was inquired about whether Hamilton's spirits have been affected this season, considering it marks his final year with Mercedes.

"Wolff responded, saying, 'This year turned out to be quite positive and always productive. There were instances where he felt dissatisfied, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary compared to the last two years.'"

When questioned about whether he'll silently hope for his friend Hamilton's success in the coming year.

Wolff stated, "I would definitely prefer it if we were the ones coming out on top! That's within our power to affect."

"I sincerely hope for his success, just not with us anymore."

Currently, Wolff and Hamilton continue to stand together.

Mercedes is heading to Silverstone fresh off their victory at the F1 Austrian Grand Prix, which is considered Red Bull's home race, last weekend.

George Russell's win was significantly influenced by the incident involving Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, yet it marks a significant advancement for Mercedes, a team that has been lagging behind Red Bull for over two seasons.

Wolff has pledged to secure another Grand Prix win for Hamilton before stepping down.

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