“You Realize 10 Seconds Later…”: Billionaire Mercedes Boss Relives His Nerve-Wrecking Reaction to Lewis Hamilton Almost Losing the Championship

Formula 1 is one of the most thrilling sports out there. The high speeds and the dangerous moves can send chills down your spine. Aside from being cut-throat, the sport is also full of emotions and there are instances when the drivers and team bosses depict their feeling through their actions.

There happens to be an infamous headphone-smashing instance where Toto Wolff hits his Bose headphones on his desk during the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP. In a recent interview with Bloomberg Quicktake: Originals, Toto Wolff reveals what was going on inside his head that made him act like that.

Last year, during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff smashed his headset in anger. This happened right after Max Verstappen allegedly ‘brake-tested’ Lewis Hamilton. This incident fumed Toto Wolff, and he smashed the headphone.

Talking about the incident, Wolff said, “You think you have the championship then it’s lost, another certain stage in Jeddah. Three races before the end, I smashed my headphones because I thought in that minute Lewis was break tested and we lost championship.”

“And then you realize 10 seconds later it’s actually on. He just needs to win the race. There’s too much at stake and now that’s being captured by the lens.”

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Toto Wolff is with Mercedes for nearly a decade and very few of us might know that the billionaire principal once stopped the divorce of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes.

Toto Wolff reveals how he once stopped Lewis Hamilton to leave Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 and that changed the fortunes of the Briton, as since then,  the Brackley-based team has helped Hamilton lift six world titles. That being said, 2016 was one of the most successful seasons for the German manufacturers, but there prevailed constant tension in the garage owing to the animosity between both the Silver Arrows drivers.

However, soon after claiming his first title, Nico Rosberg announced his retirement, but the tension needed to be calmed down. This led Toto Wolff to talk to the British driver to work on several issues. Talking to The Times, Wolff disclosed how he stopped Hamilton.

He said, “I said we need to decide whether we want to work together or not. You want to win as a driver, I want to win as a team. Sometimes our different agendas are going to lead to conflict and we need to decide whether we can cope with that situation. We were in my kitchen.”

Wolff further added, “I don’t want a divorce. You’re the best driver. I want you in our car and we want to provide you with the best car.”

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In the world of such immense pressure, Mercedes has won 8 consecutive WCCs. Do you think the season 2022 was just a one-off performance of the Mercedes, or is it the beginning of the end of dominant Silver Arrows?