The Toto Wolff – Lewis Hamilton pact: “I promised not to call Verstappen while he’s here”. Toto Wolff revealed an agreement with Lewis Hamilton to keep Max Verstappen away.

The Netflix Revelation
As every year, the release of *Drive to Survive* uncovers interesting behind-the-scenes stories from the previous season. One of the most intriguing topics in this year’s Netflix production is Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari, which became official in recent weeks but was publicly announced on February 1, 2024, leaving the F1 world in shock. The story is covered in the early episodes of the seventh season—set to premiere on March 7—and naturally follows Toto Wolff’s reaction to the sporting ‘betrayal’ of his star driver.

It’s no secret that before settling on young Italian talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the Austrian team principal considered another high-profile name: Max Verstappen. From a purely performance standpoint, the Red Bull driver was the obvious choice, but his long-term contract with Christian Horner’s team made him seem unattainable. However, internal tensions at Milton Keynes opened a small window for negotiations, which Toto Wolff attempted to explore—though ultimately without success. Netflix cameras captured a conversation between Wolff and his wife, Susie, discussing how to handle the post-Hamilton era.

The Pact with Lewis Hamilton 
During this conversation, Toto Wolff makes a revealing statement: he had an agreement with Hamilton not to approach Verstappen while #44 was still driving for Mercedes. “I haven’t spoken to him because I promised Lewis I wouldn’t,” Wolff is heard telling Susie in reference to Max Verstappen. “But now I will.”

Later in the episode, the difficulties of such an operation become evident, and as we now know, the deal never materialized. “It’s very difficult with Max,” Wolff says in a meeting with communications chief Bradley Lord and driver development advisor Gwen Lagrue. “There’s a 1% chance Max will change his mind.”

This ‘non-recruitment’ pact is not entirely surprising, given the tense relationship between Hamilton and Verstappen—especially after their infamous 2021 season. However, this is the first time that an explicit ‘veto’ on the Dutch champion has been acknowledged by one of the parties involved.