Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff has revealed that he did not try to stop Lewis Hamilton from leaving for Ferrari after he learned that the seven-time Formula One world champion would leave the Brackley-based outfit at the end of the 2024 season.
Speaking to the High-Performance podcast with Jake Humphrey, Wolff said that he received a call from Carlos Sainz Sr and was told that Carlos Sainz was leaving the team. Wolff revealed that he contacted Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur, asking if he was signing Lewis Hamilton, but he received no response. Wolff says that it was strange, given that he and Vasseur are very good friends.
Wolff revealed that Hamilton came to his house like he usually does and was discussing plans for the holidays. Wolff then revealed to the seven-time world champion that they had signed someone from Ferrari, to which Hamilton replied by breaking the news that he was leaving to join Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season.
Reflecting on the events of the final race of the 2021 F1 season, which saw Max Verstappen win his first world championship, Wolff said that he felt anger and confirmed that during that season, he had held conversations with Michael Masi and told him not to be arrogant and to listen to the drivers. Wolff tells Humphrey that they have wasted three minutes discussing it and that Masi has no relevance.
Wolff went on to say that in 2021, both Macx Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were deserving champions, but the result was unfair on that particular afternoon in Abu Dhabi.
Wolff believes that Hamilton should have been an eight-time world champion as he deserves to have the label of the greatest driver in Formula One history.