Despite shifting gears to new horizons, Toto Wolff, the indispensable team principal at Mercedes, still found himself instinctively tracking the progress of Lewis Hamilton in the Australian Grand Prix 2025. It was a race of firsts, marking Hamilton’s Ferrari debut and the first time in a staggering 247 races that the initials HAM were not coupled with the Mercedes emblem on the timing board.
Hamilton’s initiation into the Ferrari squad didn’t go off without a hitch, as the race concluded with him in the 10th position. However, for Wolff and his Mercedes team, the day was one of triumph. New addition to the team, George Russell, secured a podium finish while Kimi Antonelli, starting at a disadvantageous 16th, clawed his way up to an impressive fourth-place debut.
When quizzed about Hamilton’s absence from the Mercedes garage, Wolff conceded that he found himself inadvertently monitoring not two but three names during the race. “As I watched the screens, I found myself tracking RUS, ANT, and HAM. It’s not surprising given Hamilton’s long-standing association with Mercedes. It’s unrealistic to believe he can be dismissed from the psyche so quickly,” Wolff confided in Melbourne.
Wolff was quick to clarify, however, that whilst he does care about Hamilton’s progress, he is very much aware that on the racing track, Hamilton is now the competition – a competition that needs to be outpaced.
Turning to the performance of his own team, the Silver Arrows, Wolff acknowledged a challenge with maintaining optimum tyre temperature. “We would have preferred a fair fight with the McLarens and Verstappen under regular circumstances,” said the 53-year-old principal. He further revealed the team’s struggle with rapid tyre degradation due to excessive heat.
In a tone that hinted at the gap left by the absence of a track veteran like Hamilton, Wolff said, “The gap is significant, reminiscent of the years when we would just watch one and two vanish into the distance.”
However, Wolff is far from conceding defeat. “We may be third and fourth after the first race, but it’s crucial to never let up. We need to dissect our performance and find ways to manage the tyres more effectively,” he said. He dismissed the notion that the team lacked downforce, pointing instead to mechanical issues that need to be addressed.
As for the strategy moving ahead, Wolff stresses the importance of remaining composed and continuing on the set path. “The question of prioritizing 2026 over the current year must be weighed carefully, especially so soon after the first race,” he concluded, hinting at an aggressive but strategic approach as the team embarks on the rest of the season without Hamilton.
