F1 News: Mercedes Chief Reveals Who Informed Him Of Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari Move Prior To The Driver

Saajan Jogia | Nov 9, 2024

Toto Wolff 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, Friday - LAT Images / Mercedes Press Image

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed that he had an idea of Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari signing two weeks before the news was broken to him by the seven-time world champion himself. Carlos Sainz Sr., the father of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, whom Hamilton replaces next year, informed Wolff about Hamilton's deal.

The 39-year-old driver dropped an unexpected bombshell by announcing his move even before the 2024 season started, sending the Formula 1 driver market into overdrive. After waiting patiently for Mercedes to make competitive strides in the ground effect era with little success since 2022, his pursuit of an eighth title led him to choose the next strongest team after Red Bull.

Ferrari was the only team besides Red Bull to secure a race win last year. But that wasn’t the only factor drawing Hamilton’s interest. The iconic Maranello outfit holds a special appeal for many drivers, renowned for its passion and legacy of motorsport excellence.

After 11 years and securing six world championship titles with Mercedes, parting ways was difficult for Hamilton. Although Wolff noted that Hamilton's decision didn’t come as a surprise, he shared that he learned about his driver’s move through other sources, including Sainz Sr., before he contacted Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur to confirm. Speaking on the High Performance podcast, as reported by RacingNews365, Wolff said:

"I heard the bells ringing two weeks before.

"The old man Sainz called me and said, this is what's happening.

"Then there were a few drivers' dads who rang me up that didn't before. I thought, 'Okay, something is going on there'.

"And then I sent a text to [Ferrari boss] Fred Vasseur saying, 'You're taking our driver?' Didn't get any response. Very unusual for Fred. He's a good friend. So yeah, I saw it coming."

Speaking on how he got Hamilton to open up about the Ferrari move, he added:

"When Lewis arrived in the house, like he did so many years before, we had a bit of a small talk, like we always do about the Christmas holidays and all of that.

"Then I said, 'Well, we're recruiting from Ferrari now. We got this guy'. And Lewis was, 'Oh, there's something I need to tell you'. And when he said that, that initial moment was a little bit of...so this is really happening?"

However, despite the two parting ways, Wolff admitted recently that giving Hamilton the best send-off was a major goal for Mercedes after the Abu Dhabi grand finale in December.