Toto Wolff says that Lewis Hamilton’s late decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025 stopped him from negotiating with other drivers, such as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Before the season began, both Leclerc and Norris had signed contract extensions, but their announcements were quickly overshadowed by the surprise news that Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes. Wolff believes the delay in Hamilton’s decision meant he missed the chance to approach those drivers to bring them to Mercedes.
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was confirmed on February 1, just one day after he met with Wolff at his home in Oxford to share his decision.
But just days earlier, it had been announced that both Leclerc and Norris had signed contract extensions with their teams. Wolff feels that the timing of Hamilton’s departure meant he lost out on the opportunity to speak to those drivers before they committed to their teams.
“I absolutely had it on my radar that Lewis would go,” Wolff said in the book *Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane*. “I just couldn’t understand why he’d change to another team before we knew if we were going to be competitive.”
He went on, “It also didn’t give me any time to react. I had to emergency call our partners, and I possibly missed out on negotiating with other drivers who had signed contracts a few weeks earlier like Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris. It put us on the back foot, and that had a commercial impact. But do I take that personally? This was a business decision.”
Wolff added that despite the setback, he wasn’t upset by the move. “We’ve enjoyed such a successful journey together, and now we have our own objectives. This didn’t even move the needle for me. I’m thick-skinned, you know? I’ve had some pretty tough moments in my life, and this doesn’t compare.”
For Hamilton, leaving Mercedes was a difficult decision, and he described it as feeling like he was “ending a relationship,” though he insisted he still had love and respect for the team.
“I feel like I’m ending a relationship that’s perfectly fine,” said Hamilton. “We’re still in love. I haven’t lost faith in the team. I’m leaving for myself.”
Hamilton also felt it was important to tell Wolff about his decision in person, something he said was necessary for integrity. He hoped their friendship would remain strong even after he moved to Ferrari.
“I needed to do it in person because that’s what integrity is all about. But I knew it would be difficult. As humans we’re hurt when things end. But I also know that our friendship goes beyond business. That’s how I view it and I hope Toto does, too.”
