Toto Wolff has broken his silence on Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari, insisting the seven-time world champion should not be written off. Speaking on the Bloomberg Hot Pursuit podcast, the Mercedes team principal defended Hamilton's form and backed him to succeed at Silverstone this weekend.
Hamilton, 40, is yet to secure a podium finish in a Grand Prix since joining Ferrari, though he did win the sprint race in China and finished fourth in Austria. Wolff said: 'You don't unlearn driving that quickly. In 2021 he was great, then the regulations changed, and it got a little bit more difficult, but he was still performing on a very high level.'
The Austrian boss dismissed suggestions that Hamilton had lost his edge, pointing to the adaptation period required when switching teams. 'Different car, different DNA of how that vehicle drives, a new engineering team... it's an all-Italian team; he's a British guy parachuted in there - and that takes time,' Wolff added.
Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone had previously claimed Wolff was 'fed up' with Hamilton towards the end of their 11-year partnership. In a 2022 interview, Ecclestone said: 'Toto is getting a bit fed up with Lewis. I don't think he's trying, do you?'
Hamilton announced his Ferrari switch at the start of 2024, finishing seventh in the drivers' standings that year, 22 points behind teammate George Russell. Wolff, who watched Hamilton win six of his seven titles with Mercedes, remains supportive: 'Don't ever write Lewis Hamilton off.'
