02 February 2024 , 12:54
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Toto Wolff admits he does not know why Lewis Hamilton changed his mind on his Formula 1 future just months after signing a new Mercedes contract.
Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of 2024 to join rivals Ferrari. That move was officially announced on Thursday evening after it was leaked earlier in the day - and that came just 24 hours after the seven-time world champion had told boss Wolff.
The Austrian held a press conference on Friday, during which he explained to reporters how his driver had delivered the news. "When we signed the contract with Lewis [last August], we opted for the shorter term. So the events are not a surprise - maybe the timing," he said of the situation.
"What happened is we got together for coffee at my place in Oxford [on Wednesday] and he said to me that he has decided to race for Ferrari in 2025. That was basically it. We had a good hour of conversation and this is where we are."
The timing of the announcement has turned heads. Not only does Hamilton still have a full season with Mercedes to go before he makes his move, but the decision to leave came just five months after he had committed his future to the team.
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Wolff was quizzed on what might have changed for the Briton to U-turn on his future in the way that he has, but he could not answer. He replied: "I cannot tell you [what has changed]. I can only tell you that we were very aligned when we went into the Christmas period.
"You need to ask Lewis why he changed his mind. How he framed it to me was perfectly understandable, that he needed a new challenge and that he was looking for a different environment and that it was maybe the last possibility to do something else.
"We are big boys, we knew that by signing a short-term contract it could be of benefit to both sides. We couldn't commit to a longer period. He has taken the option to exit. We totally respect that you can change your mind with different circumstances and switching to Ferrari, maybe for the last peak in his career... I can follow that decision."
He went on, though, to suggest his star driver is taking a risk by leaving the team he calls his "family" for a new project so late in his career. "He is maybe rolling the dice a bit," said Wolff, who was also keen to emphasise that there is still a lot of work to be done this year before Hamilton leaves.
He said: "Our main focus is on the 2024 season now. We have two excellent drivers, we have Lewis in his final year at Mercedes and George [Russell] eager to get back in the car and perform. We need to put a car on the track that has more pace than last year's car and we know how difficult it will be to compete not only with Red Bull but also the others."