As the 2025 F1 season gears up for a thrilling start, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has been sighted exiting the Monaco apartment of Toto Wolff, his former team boss at Mercedes. This intriguing rendezvous occurred just days before Hamilton’s much-anticipated debut with Ferrari in Australia.
Hamilton’s switch to the Italian team from Mercedes, after signing a multi-year contract this winter, marks only the second team change in his illustrious F1 career. His first switch took place back in 2013 when he moved from McLaren to Mercedes.
Hamilton’s 12-season tenure with Mercedes saw him become the most decorated driver in F1 history. He equaled Michael Schumacher’s record of seven Drivers’ titles in 2020 and went on to become the first driver to achieve 100 race wins and pole positions in 2021.
However, Hamilton’s final years with Mercedes were marked by a struggle for victories, owing to the team’s difficulties adapting to the new ground-effect regulations. This led to back-to-back winless seasons, a stark contrast to Hamilton’s consistent record of securing at least one victory every season from his 2007 debut with McLaren to 2021.
The reason behind Hamilton’s visit to Wolff’s apartment remains a mystery, but it does underscore the continued amicable relationship between the two, despite their professional parting.
Wolff, in a conversation with media outlets including PlanetF1.com, detailed how Hamilton informed him of his decision to move to Ferrari. The revelation came over breakfast at Wolff’s Oxfordshire residence, a testament to their long-standing rapport.
Wolff also shared the intriguing backstory of how he first learned about Hamilton’s impending move. He was tipped off by Carlos Sainz’s father, whose son Hamilton replaced at Ferrari. Wolff recalled how he suspected “something was going on” when he started receiving calls from “drivers’ dads” who hadn’t reached out before.
In a surprising twist of events, Wolff revealed that he tried to catch Hamilton off guard by disclosing that Mercedes had secured former Ferrari technical boss Simone Resta. But the revelation prompted Hamilton to confess his plan to head in the opposite direction.
Amid persistent speculations about Mercedes considering Red Bull’s reigning World Champion Max Verstappen as Hamilton’s successor, the team opted instead for young talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
In the soon-to-be-released series of Drive to Survive, Wolff discloses that he had assured Hamilton he wouldn’t engage in talks with Verstappen while Hamilton was still with Mercedes. He further added that the chances of Verstappen changing his mind about staying with Red Bull were slim.
As we look forward to Hamilton’s Ferrari debut and the unfolding of the 2025 F1 season, fans and analysts alike are keenly watching the dynamics between Hamilton, Wolff, and the rest of the F1 fraternity.
