Lewis Hamilton-Ferrari: untold story of Toto Wolff and Fred Vasseur's silence

Today at 08:39 AM

Just like a soap opera, the Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari saga continues to stir debate, with Toto Wolff shedding light on new aspects of the year’s most talked-about deal, uncovering previously unknown details.

Amid lies, phone calls, and press silence—just as if it were a soap opera— Toto Wolff was interviewed by British daily newspaper *The Guardian* and talked about that difficult moment almost a year ago when Lewis Hamilton informed him that he would be joining Ferrari.

"I wasn't surprised at all. I knew a couple of weeks before it happened when I received a call from Carlos Sainz and his father. He told me that 'something was brewing.' I asked myself why this had to happen before the start of the season." – the Mercedes team boss pointed out.

However, Toto Wolff was unprepared to receive calls from others within the F1 paddock.

"That same afternoon, I received calls from a couple of drivers close to Charles Leclerc. Even Fernando Alonso reached out. I believe it all started with Charles Leclerc, who already knew about it during the winter, and then his closest allies heard that there would be a vacancy at Mercedes. I told Susie that all of this was happening without us officially knowing anything."

Toto Wolff then sent a message to Frédéric Vasseur to understand the situation. But when he asked, "Are you taking our driver?" he got no response—which was unusual, given the two have a good relationship. At that point, Toto knew what was happening but chose not to call Lewis Hamilton directly. "I didn't want to put him in a position where he'd have to lie to me because the contract hadn't been signed yet." – the Austrian billionaire investor and motorsport executive continued.

A couple of weeks later, the British driver came to see him. Toto Wolff already knew the whole story, and Lewis Hamilton was clearly struggling. "I could feel his pain in telling me. 'Why now? When should we announce it?' and he replied that the news had already leaked."

Toto Wolff revealed that he spared Lewis Hamilton an even harsher conversation in which he could have told him he was too "old" for a renewal. "I would have done it. But it would have been a true nightmare for both of us."

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