Toto Wolff reveals who informed him of Lewis Hamilton's departure from Mercedes to join Ferrari
11/08/2024 12:43 PM
The news of Lewis Hamilton's transfer to Scuderia Ferrari was like a bolt from the blue, announced hastily after the rumor spread through the media. Even today, it's unclear whether the announcements were planned for February 1 or if they were merely a way to cover up the growing chaos; Maranello's team itself confirmed the champion's signing with an almost clinical press release. But fans were not the only ones caught off guard: Toto Wolff himself revealed that he learned of his driver's departure through Carlos Sainz Sr.
"I had a warning two weeks before. Old Sainz called me and told me what was going on, and then I got calls from fathers of drivers who had never contacted me before," the Austrian manager revealed on the High Performance podcast.
"I then sent a message to Fred Vasseur, asking him if he was taking my driver, but he didn't reply. Which was strange, because Fred and I are friends." In recent hours, Hamilton's perspective on the entire deal has also come to light: the Briton shared the tension he felt before dropping the market bombshell on his team and especially on Toto Wolff, over that coffee described as "quite bitter."
"When Lewis arrived at my house, we first had a simple chat about Christmas holidays, as we always do. Then I told him we were hiring staff from Ferrari, and he interrupted me, revealing he had signed with the Reds. At first, I was shocked, wondering if it was really happening," admitted the team principal. "I've had worse news in my life, real traumas. Here, the only thoughts were the risks with sponsors, how to handle the announcements, and what to do in 2025." – the Mercedes team principal concluded.
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