Toto Wolff Admits He Was Relieved Lewis Hamilton Chose to Leave Mercedes F1 Team

There’s a version of events where Toto Wolff sits Lewis Hamilton down and tells him Mercedes is moving on. It would have been one of the most uncomfortable conversations in Formula 1history. As it turned out, Hamilton saved him from ever having to have it.

Speaking on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Wolff was asked whether any part of him felt relief when Hamilton made the decision on his own terms.

“Absolutely. I couldn’t make the decision from a personal standpoint. We owe him so much. I didn’t want to make the decision as Mercedes letting the greatest champion ever go. And maybe he felt that also.”

Why Antonelli Was Always Part of this Equation

Hamilton’s departure came about through a break clause in his previous Mercedes deal, a one-plus-one agreement signed back in September 2023.

Mercedes and Wolff were surprised when Hamilton triggered that clause, though reports suggest it stemmed from the team’s unwillingness to commit to a longer-term extension – the Briton wanted a multi-year deal, but his age and the Antonelli situation made Mercedes reluctant.

Wolff doesn’t deny that Antonelli was the undercurrent running through all of it. “He knew that Antonelli is in the pipeline. It was something I almost had in the back of my mind that that would happen.” The parallel he keeps returning to is Max Verstappen – Wolff was determined not to repeat the mistake of watching a generational talent walk out the door for lack of a seat, the same way Mercedes lost Verstappen to Red Bull back in 2014.

“We had this 17-year-old in the pipeline, I didn’t want to miss out on him like I did with Max back in the day.”

Hamilton Wins in Barcelona – for the Other Team

That 17-year-old is now a championship leader.

Kimi Antonelli held a 66-point lead before Barcelona, where Hamilton’s Ferrari victory coincided with Antonelli retiring with a power unit failure – slicing the gap to 41 points and suddenly making the title fight look very open.

Wolff said after the Scuderia win: “I’m happy for him in a Ferrari. He’s waited a long time and has worked very hard to get back on the top step of the podium. And today he deserved it.”

Wolff did, however, let his composure slip slightly when he credited Hamilton’s revival, in part, to his romance with Kim Kardashian: “I saw him on the podium, on the telly. That face shows me that he’s very happy. Maybe the girlfriend helps!” he joked.