Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton have one of the strongest bonds in the Formula 1 paddock.
The pair have been through plenty of highs and lows during their time at Mercedes, with Hamilton and Wolff combining to win 14 championships since the Brit joined from McLaren in 2013.
Hamilton’s run of winning six Drivers’ Championships in seven years is going to be incredibly difficult to beat.
He lost out to Nico Rosberg in 2016, before being joined by Valtteri Bottas to secure plenty of Constructors’ Championships ahead of this generation of cars being introduced.
Unfortunately, Hamilton and Mercedes have struggled in the past three seasons, with victories hard to come by and challenges to Red Bull and Max Verstappen nearly impossible.
The time was right in Hamilton’s head to move on and Ferrari will benefit from his services from 2025 onwards.
Ralf Schumacher is worried about Hamilton’s longevity at Ferrari, although that’s unlikely to be an issue if he has a good car.
Meanwhile, Guenther Steiner – speaking on The Red Flags Podcast – has concerns about one parting message Wolff delivered to Hamilton before saying farewell.
Guenther Steiner doesn’t think Toto Wolff wants Lewis Hamilton to win at Ferrari
On Hamilton’s final team radio message, Wolff told Hamilton that if Mercedes can’t win, he wants the Brit to be victorious instead.
“If we can’t win, we will cheer for him,” Wolff said when talking about Hamilton’s upcoming move.
Hamilton admitted it clicked that he was leaving after hearing another radio message in Abu Dhabi but what Wolff said would have stuck with him after the race.
Steiner was asked about Wolff’s comments where he said if Mercedes can’t win a championship, he hopes Hamilton does and responded: “He doesn’t wish him that.
“That was b——- for the camera, this was for the camera.”
READ MORE: Toto Wolff shares whether Lewis Hamilton could ‘one day’ return to Mercedes after Ferrari move
He was then asked if he thought Wolff would be happy if Hamilton achieved that eighth title and continued: “No, because he didn’t win it. There can be only one winner.
“Why should he be happy? He said, if it is not us, it should be you, yeah, for sure.
“But if he doesn’t win it, he doesn’t really care who wins it, in my opinion.”
Mercedes hopes now rely on George Russell and Kimi Antonelli after Hamilton exit
Hamilton was already one of the sport’s most established stars when he joined Mercedes in 2013.
He and Wolff would never have expected to go on and win as many championships as they have, but repeating that feat is going to be extremely difficult.
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George Russell will take on the role of Mercedes’ lead driver after three years learning from Hamilton.
Russell and Hamilton have differing feedback methods and it will be up to Antonelli to fill in some of the gaps in the team’s knowledge now that the 39-year-old has moved on.
That’s not going to be easy and while Mercedes will want to be competitive in 2025, the following season when the F1 ruleset changes might be what the team are ultimately aiming for.
Mercedes may have the best 2026 power unit and that could prove pivotal to their success.
