Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has detailed how he found out about Lewis Hamilton’s seismic move to Ferrari. The seven-time world champion somehow managed to keep the talks largely secret until the final days.
Wolff received a tip-off from Carlos Sainz Sr, who had discovered that his son was losing his drive. Sainz had entered the final year of his deal at Ferrari and the Scuderia informed him he wouldn’t be offered an extension.
Hamilton regretted how he handled his McLaren exit – he informed the team from afar – and wanted to rectify that mistake here. While he didn’t inform Wolff at the outset, he did meet with him face-to-face before the news became public.
Wolff insists he wasn’t surprised by Hamilton’s decision, even if it stunned the F1 world. The only thing he questioned was the timing – the British driver had abandoned Mercedes before he’d even driven the 2024 car.
Hamilton had only signed a new deal the previous August. But he knew that both parties had the option to walk away after the first season.
According to Peter Windsor, Mercedes started losing confidence in Hamilton at the end of 2021. That’s why they signed George Russell – a driver around whom they could build long-term.
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Speaking to The Guardian, Wolff revealed phone calls from Hamilton’s F1 competitors when the news started to spread in the community. He suspects that Charles Leclerc, his would-be teammate, had informed them.
Among those to get in contact was Fernando Alonso. The two-time world champion came into the year as one of the 13 F1 drivers out of contract.
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Alonso wanted to put himself forward for the free spot at Brackley. Wolff felt the situation was running out of control.
“But that same afternoon I received calls from a few other drivers that were close to Charles Leclerc. Fernando Alonso too,” he said. “I think it started from Leclerc knowing over the winter and then his closest allies hearing there was a seat free. I said to Susie: This is happening without us officially knowing’.
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Alonso eventually signed a new multi-year extension at Aston Martin. With Adrian Newey joining a series of world-class engineering additions, he believes he can win a third title under Lawrence Stroll before he retires.
But that doesn’t mean a move to Mercedes wasn’t a serious possibility. The 32-time race-winner could have been an effective stop-gap before Kimi Antonelli ascended to the top team.
Nico Rosberg says Wolff held extensive talks with Flavio Briatore, Alonso’s manager, in Monaco. He knows this because he saw it with his own eyes.
Guenther Steiner says Alonso has learned how to control his ‘ego’, which may have made him more appealing to Wolff. But it looks like this was their final opportunity to work together.
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