Chief of the Mercedes team, Toto Wolff, expressed surprise at Lewis Hamilton’s positive attitude despite his struggles in the 2024 Formula 1 season. Hamilton’s start to the season has been the worst since 2009, with only 19 points in the first five races, leaving him in ninth place in the Drivers’ Championship. Mercedes has also faced ongoing challenges in the past two seasons. However, Wolff noticed that Hamilton has remained optimistic recently, speculating that Ferrari’s strong performance this season may be a contributing factor. Ferrari has achieved five podiums, including a one-two finish in Australia, and currently comfortably holds the second position in the standings, 99 points ahead of Mercedes.
Wolff admitted that he is not sure of the exact reasons for Hamilton’s positive mindset, but mentioned that Hamilton’s knowledge of his move to Ferrari in 2025 may be a factor. Despite his difficulties, Hamilton has maintained a professional approach, which surprised Wolff. Hamilton had a promising start to the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, securing second place in the sprint race and expressing his joy at being back at the front of the pack. However, both Hamilton and Wolff revealed that an experimental setup during the race resulted in severe understeer, hampering Hamilton’s performance.
Wolff also emphasized that the role of the driver in vehicle development is often overestimated, stating that their contribution is limited to once a year for the development of the next season and providing feedback on the car’s performance throughout the year. He believes that losing an engineer is more detrimental to the team than a driver changing teams.
