Toto Wolff Confesses Relationship With Lewis Hamilton Went Through ‘Difficult Patches’ At Mercedes

Mercedes have emerged from a midfield team to a sizeable, dominant outfit in the space of just over a decade. Contributing to the success of that are two key pillars in team principal Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton.

Wolff had taken over the reins of the team’s leadership around the same time Hamilton joined the team. And since then, they have attained some fond memories, wins and of course, championships.

The Mercedes team boss has now revealed that although they were open with each other from the start, it did take time to gain a certain level of trust. But overall, they have both shared the same ambitions over the years.

Lots of transparent communication with Lewis Hamilton, says Wolff

Speaking in an interview, Wolff is quoted as saying, “No, it was not immediate, I think we were pretty open with each other straight from the get-go. We joined the team at the same time, but it took a few years to really establish that amount of trust.”

“We went through some difficult patches but they all contributed to the strong bond that we have today. We are talking to each other, there’s lots of transparent communication.”

Perhaps, it is this communication, which has seen both people maintain a relaxed demeanor with respect to their contract negotiations. Both Wolff and Hamilton are yet to sign an extension, and it just might get done at the right time.

“Nothing is being left on the table, we don’t go home annoyed at each other, we talk about it immediately. Sometimes we agree to disagree. But at the end, we share our core objectives which is winning championships,” concluded Wolff with this response.

Hamilton and Wolff are cornerstones of Mercedes’ success

There was a lot of initial doubt over whether the German manufacturer works team would be able to ever challenge the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull. But ever since the advent of turbo hybrid engines in 2014, Mercedes got their act together.

What followed was a clean sweep of titles available on offer, and in almost superior fashion as well. While Wolff handled the operations of the team, Hamilton catalysed the success of the team’s efforts on the track.

We see few such relationships over the course of years in Formula 1. But, the Wolff-Hamilton relationship will go down as one of the most successful pairings in the sport’s history.