Toto Wolff has weighed in on his former driver Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles, adamant the Briton hasn’t lost any of his “magic”, he’s just experiencing a few “road bumps” as he adjusts to his new work environment.

Having spent 12 seasons with Mercedes, where he won six Drivers’ titles and 84 Grand Prix wins, Hamilton switched to Ferrari during the off-season, the spotlight firmly on the new partnership as F1’s most successful driver teamed up with the sport’s most successful outfit.

Has Lewis Hamilton lost his ‘magic’?

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

But aside from one brief 24-hour period in which Hamilton claimed pole position for the Sprint in China before racing from lights to flag to record Ferrari’s maiden Sprint victory, it’s been a struggle.

The 40-year-old hasn’t finished higher than fifth in a Grand Prix and trails Charles Leclerc 5-2 in their qualifying head-to-head battle where he was more than half a second down in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The gap between the team-mates was a quarter of a second in Friday’s qualifying for the Sprint in Miami, after which Hamilton admitted he was lacking the speed needed to challenge for a top position.

More from the Miami Grand Prix

Winners and losers from the 2025 Miami Grand Prix sprint qualifying

Miami GP: Kimi Antonelli puts rivals in the shade as strategy blunders define Sprint quali

“I think all the cars ahead are faster,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com. “So, yeah, I don’t really know what else to say.”

His former Mercedes team principal was quizzed on Hamilton’s struggles during Friday’s FIA Miami press conference, asked if the seven-time World Champion ‘still has the magic’.

“I think we saw that magic in the Sprint Race – was it Shanghai?” Wolff replied. “He was completely dominating that race.

“It’s not like you have the magic in one race and then suddenly you lose the magic in the next one. I very much believe that it’s still there.

“If he aligns all his performance contributors and feels he is in the right space and the car is to his liking, he will be stellar. I have no doubt.

“But I’m also not surprised it has those road bumps. He was with us 12 years – the way of operating. He’s been put in a Ferrari, where his team-mate has been a long time. And his team-mate clearly is one of the very good ones.

“So from the outside and speaking to him, it’s a trajectory any new driver needs to go through in a top team.”

One driver, though, who is thriving in his new environment is Hamilton’s Mercedes replacement, Kimi Antonelli.

The Italian has scored points in four of five Grands Prix and will line up on pole position for Saturday’s Sprint in Miami having pipped Oscar Piastri to P1 by 0.045s to become the sport’s youngster ever pole position holder.

Antonelli’s arrival means that while there is a new dynamic at Mercedes, the teenager teaming up with George Russell, that doesn’t mean it’s better or worse than during Hamilton’s time with the team.

“First of all, I want to avoid some headlines,” Wolff said. “We’re still great friends with Lewis. I spent a lot of time with him, travelling, and I’m still seeing him.

“It came to a point last year where, you know, it’s like spending 12 years in a row on holiday with your best friend. At a certain stage you say, well, maybe do something else this time around.

“And for Lewis, he needed a refresher, a reinvention. Ferrari is iconic, no doubt about that. Certainly he also got terms that were interesting for him.

“And with us, Kimi was in the starting blocks – eventually it was this year or it would have been next year to bring him in. Bringing him in this year means we have a learning year before new regulations kick in. He’s going to know all the tracks, which for example, this one he’s never been to, and that felt like the right decision.”

Pressed on that and where there was now a different atmosphere in the garage, the Austrian replied: “No, I wouldn’t say so.

“Lewis was part of the family. As a racing driver, he knew exactly what he wanted and the engineers and mechanics knew him. He knew them. We got along. You have good days, bad days, strengths and weaknesses. But when you know someone that well, it’s easy to manage that.

“Now the dynamic is different.

“George has massively stepped up as a senior driver in the team. Kimi is almost like the young brother that’s come in. They work well together, which is very pleasing to see. Kimi doesn’t stress too much, he’s just building up constantly. And on George, you can rely on him when it comes to lap times and racing. So spirits are high.”

Read next: Max Verstappen gets further Red Bull boost after first baby arrival