Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes left Toto Wolff surprised and unsettled. The seven-time world champion, fresh off a contract renewal with the team, announced last January that he would join Ferrari in 2025, fulfilling fans’ wishes and catching the Mercedes team principal off guard.
Despite wanting to convince Lewis Hamilton to stay, Toto Wolff’s decision not to insist was influenced by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, with whom the German manager said he has “a good friendship.”
Pep Guardiola’s Advice to Toto Wolff
During an episode of the “High Performance” podcast, Toto Wolff shared that he had called Guardiola for advice some time before the situation arose: “I had a conversation with him a long time ago; he’s a friend. I asked him, ‘What do you do if one of your players tells you he’s going to leave the team?’ and he replied, ‘What do you mean, what do I do?’ So I asked, ‘Do you try to convince them to stay?’”
“He simply replied, ‘No, if he thinks he can play better or earn more elsewhere, I let him go.’”
These words became a guiding principle for Toto Wolff when Lewis Hamilton told him he intended to leave the team at the end of 2024 Formula 1 championship in order to join Scuderia Ferrari: “Now, that’s something I follow too. If someone wants to leave, then we do what’s best for both sides.”
Although Lewis Hamilton’s departure wasn’t anticipated, the Mercedes team principal stated that “it wasn’t hard to process” and added, “I’ve had more traumatic experiences in my life. It certainly posed some risks, especially in quickly informing the sponsors. On the other hand, I asked myself, ‘What do we do next year?’ I had an instinctive response, an inner intuition that said, ‘This is Kimi [Antonelli]’s opportunity.’” – he concluded.
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