There was never going to be a perfect way for Lewis Hamilton to leave Mercedes and drive for another team. 12 years of steadfast commitment saw him pull off 246 races, 84 victories, and six driver’s championships. This marks the longest and most successful driver/team partnership in the history of Formula 1. However, every good thing comes to an end. This blooming bond will screech to a halt after the upcoming weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Mercedes’ boss Toto Wolff could not express this painful loss in any acceptable way. Yet Wolff can be relieved about one thing in breaking off such a strong motorsports bond. Hamilton chose to do the dirty work himself, saving his team from any disrepute. But even then, parting ways with the greatest champion entailed a reason, that Wolff revealed.

Lewis Hamilton clashed with other elements

Despite spending a long 12 years in the team, fresh opportunities came knocking on the door. During the summer of 2023, Lewis Hamilton signed a 2-year-deal with Mercedes. But there was a caveat – it was a “one-plus-one” contract, meaning both parties were offered leeway to retract if anything arose. Mercedes was wooing 18-year-old rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli as a prospect. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton got mega offers from rival teams like Ferrari. But when they came to the crossroads, Hamilton took the difficult call at the start of 2024 – he announced his plans to join Ferrari in 2025. This decision confirmed the painful consequence that both parties expected. But it also saved Wolff from bearing the burden himself.

Speaking with the co-hosts of Armchair Expert Podcast recently, Toto Wolff came clean about how he felt. Answering whether he felt relieved about Lewis Hamilton’s decision, Wolff said: “Absolutely. I couldn’t make the decision from a personal standpoint… We owe him so much, and I didn’t want to do the decision as Mercedes – letting the greatest champion ever go.” Podcast co-host Dax Shepherd added, “It’s disrespectful.” To which Wolff added, “And maybe he felt that (disrespectful) also, that’s part of it. It was something that I almost had at the back of my mind, that that would happen.”

Yet both parties are occupied for next season. While Lewis Hamilton will don a red Ferrari firesuit, Mercedes will field a promising young talent. So Wolff continued, “It was a curveball thrown at us. And it still feels weird that he’s going to wear a Ferrari overall next year and drive the red car. It’s just a bit surreal. But we had the 17-year-old in the pipeline. I didn’t want to miss out on him like I did with Max. Back in the day, I didn’t have a car. So that is all falling into place.” 

He added that considering Hamilton’s maturity – he is 40 years old – maybe trying out a Ferrari car was long overdue. “I can kind of get where he’s coming from because we were unsuccessful, our car was not quick enough. Certainly, he had a mega offer on the table – every Formula One driver wants to drive a Ferrari.”

Wolff also added how emotional the day is going to be when it eventually arrives. “It will be emotional – in a way it doesn’t touch us yet so much because we are right in the middle of everything, fighting, trying to do our best every session, every day. But the closer it comes, the more emotional it will be and particularly Sunday, the last laps of the last race,” added Wolff

Despite the sadness apparent in these words, Lewis Hamilton did not run well this season. Yet his boss chooses to focus on the positives.

Trying to end it with a smile

After Lewis Hamilton dropped the shocker news, things turned awkward in his Mercedes team. Occasional struggles were visible due to not only the difficult goodbye but also his personal gripe with the current F1 model. In Brazil, he wished for the season to end so that he could enjoy some precious family time over Christmas. During last weekend’s Qatar GP, he caught a penalty for exceeding the pit lane speed limit, and even considered parking his Mercedes. George Russell, Hamilton’s teammate, scored 235 points so far this season. On the other hand, the champion landed 211 points. Yet despite these prolonged struggles, his team leader is trying to focus on the sunny side.

Toto Wolff admitted that F1 drivers have a ‘shelf life’ due to the superhuman levels of fitness and “cognitive sharpness” that the sport demands. So he absolutely understands Hamilton’s difficult stance, and instead is looking back at better times: “Now, you see those very bad races, he wears his heart on his sleeve, you express your emotions and that is absolutely allowed, that is okay. Nothing is going to take away 12 incredible years with eight constructors’ championships and six drivers’, and that is what will be in the memory, after next Sunday, we’ll look back on this great period of time rather than a season or some races that were particularly bad, we’ll stay with the good memories.”

Evidently, Mercedes’ boss is gearing up for an emotional goodbye. As Lewis Hamilton gears up for his new journey, we wish him all the very best.