Toto Wolff admits “after Nico Rosberg’s title, there was a difficult period between me and Lewis Hamilton”. Toto Wolff reveals a moment of tension with Lewis Hamilton following Rosberg's success in 2016. .

Lewis Hamilton’s Golden Years
Of the seven world titles Lewis Hamilton has won in his career, six were achieved behind the wheel of a Mercedes. With the start of Formula 1’s turbo-hybrid era in 2014, the Brackley-based team became the dominant force to beat, following Red Bull’s reign with Sebastian Vettel. This dominance was evidenced by seven consecutive Drivers’ and eight Constructors’ Championships. However, during Lewis Hamilton’s golden era, the only interruption came in 2016. Even then, Mercedes secured the Drivers’-Constructors’ double, but it was Nico Rosberg who emerged as champion. After winning the title following a fierce rivalry with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg decided to retire from competition.

Tension in 2016
The German, son of 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg, finished second in the decisive final race in Abu Dhabi, securing the 2016 title after a season filled with controversies and on-track clashes between the two Mercedes drivers. Team Principal Toto Wolff tried to manage the situation but later revealed the atmosphere with Lewis Hamilton after Nico Rosberg’s success during the *High Performance* podcast:

“There was a moment when we went through a really difficult time in 2016 after Nico won the championship,” he recalled. “We didn’t speak for a few weeks. Then he came to my house because I told him we needed to talk. We spent many hours and worked through it. This was before the Christmas party, and I told him we couldn’t stop talking to each other. If something bothers us, you just have to pick up the phone and tell me. That became the foundation of our relationship, friendship, and collaboration in the years that followed.” – the Mercedes team principal pointed out.

Toto Wolff also recounted a similar episode, but with the roles reversed, though he did not specify the cause of the tension:
“One or two years later, we found ourselves in a situation where I was upset and didn’t call him. He called me and said, ‘Remember what you told me. We need to talk.’ I replied that he was ‘absolutely right.’ He reminded me of what I had told him.” – Toto Wolff concluded.