Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff on Lewis Hamilton: ‘He needed a refresher'
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff cut through the noise on Friday at the Miami Grand Prix, clarifying the team's current relationship with Lewis Hamilton.
'We're still great friends with Lewis,' Wolff said. 'I spent a lot of time with him, travelling and still seeing him, and it came to a point, I guess, last year, where it's like you're spending 12 years in a row on holiday with your friend at a certain stage.'
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Hamilton announced in 2024 that he would leave the team after a 12-season stint at Mercedes for a seat across the paddock at Ferrari.
But Wolff insists the move was amicable and both parties have a positive outlook now.
'You say, well, maybe do something else this time around,' the team principal explained. 'For Lewis, he needed a refresher, reinvention.'
While Hamilton, at 40 years old, traded in silver for red in his fresh start, Mercedes also got a burst of fresh-faced energy in Kimi Antonelli.
'Suddenly, you also got the terms that were interesting for him and with us: Kimi was in the starting blocks,' Wolff said.
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'That felt like the right decision.'
The 18-year-old Italian driver has finished within the points at four of the five races so far this season. He sits just above Hamilton in the driver standings, splitting the two Ferraris with a seven-point lead on his former seat-holder.
Toto Wolff worked with Lewis Hamilton for 12 years (Getty Images)
However, the absence of a 105-time grand prix winner hasn't drastically changed the atmosphere at Mercedes, Wolff said, but the dynamic has shifted as George Russell takes on a leadership role.
'Now the dynamic is different,' Wolff said. 'George has massively stepped up as a senior driver in the team. Kimi is almost like the young brother that's come in. They work together well.
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'George, who's been always — like everyone — a little bit in the shadow of Lewis Hamilton, is now the one that gives the direction.'
Russell trails the top three in the driver standings but has stood on the podium in every race but one.
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