Before the start of the 2024 season, news broke that Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes and joining Ferrari in 2025. Things easily could’ve been awkward inside the Mercedes garage, but a concerted effort from all involved helped prevent a hostile environment.
Mercedes Team Principal and CEO, Toto Wolff, recently revealed in an interview that Hamilton still visits the Mercedes garage during race weekends and even travels with Wolff and some of his old teammates.
Mercedes’s effort to maintain a healthy environment
When the news broke that Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025, the 2024 season hadn’t even started yet. With 24 races still to go with his former team, it would’ve been easy for there to be tension and hostility inside the garage. Instead, Hamilton and Wolff figured out a way to make it work.
“When he decided to go, it could have been very awkward, borderline hostile, and we actively talked about how to not make it that,” Wolff told the Wall Street Journal. “All of us made a real effort in trying to be very accommodating, very understanding.”
There was some speculation from fans about whether or not Mercedes would treat Hamilton fairly with his departure imminent. However, that didn’t seem to be the case.
GET IN THERE!!!!
LEWIS HAMILTON WINS THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX!!!! 🏆
What a moment. Incredible! pic.twitter.com/ucamrUBTGq
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 7, 2024
As a team, Mercedes didn’t have the season they would’ve wanted, finishing P4 in the constructors, but Hamilton won two races – including his home race in Silverstone – and finished the season right behind George Russell in the driver’s standings.
Even with the inevitability of Hamilton’s departure after 12 seasons, Mercedes maintained a strong and healthy environment throughout the season, which helped make his farewell tour much more manageable for both sides.
Hamilton and Wolff maintain a strong relationship
Despite Hamilton now wearing red, Wolff revealed he still makes frequent stops at the Mercedes garage during race weekends to visit with his old friends. He even still travels with Wolff, George Russell and Valtteri Bottas after many races.
“He’s maintained being a friend. He pops up in the office on the weekend! He speaks with the engineers, gets some food,” said Wolff. “After many Grand Prix, he travels back with me. So we have the old gang: Valtteri Bottas, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and me flying from the races.”
“We can’t make sense of this in the data… he just had this gift”
This week’s Beyond The Grid podcast looks back at Lewis Hamilton’s legendary Mercedes stint with guests Toto Wolff and Andrew Shovlin – click to listen now! 🎙️#F1
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 11, 2024
Wolff admits their relationship is a bit different now. Instead of giving Hamilton racing advice, he’s been handing out relationship advice.
“I’m living a different life through his eyes, you know? He shows me his flirts and who he dates, and [asks], ‘Should I go for this girl or not?’ And I’m saying, ‘Yes, you should, and tell me how it was!’”
It would’ve been very easy for Hamilton and Wolff’s relationship to deteriorate after his departure. But the two were joined at the hip for 12 years, and a relationship like that doesn’t go away overnight.
