The February announcement that Lewis Hamilton would leave Mercedes for Ferrari shocked the F1 world. Now, with Mercedes’ new book, Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane, some behind-the-scenes details have emerged. Team principal Toto Wolff recently shed even more light on how he discovered Hamilton’s plan during an episode of the High Performance Podcast.
Wolff revealed that he sensed something was up weeks before Hamilton broke the news. The first hint came when he received a surprising call from Carlos Sainz Sr., who, along with other driver family members, suddenly seemed more interested in Mercedes. “So I thought, okay…there’s something going on there,” Wolff explained.
Suspicion grew when Wolff texted Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur asking, “You’re taking our driver?” But Vasseur, usually quick to respond, stayed silent. “Very unusual for Fred,” Wolff noted, describing this as the moment he knew the rumors were real.
Determined to gauge Hamilton’s intentions, Wolff tried to shake things up by telling him Mercedes had signed Ferrari’s former design head, Simone Resta. But the tactic backfired. “Lewis was like, ‘Oh, there’s something I need to tell you,’” Wolff recounted. “That initial moment was a little bit of… so this is really happening?”
While the revelation was difficult, Wolff insists it wasn’t the worst he’d faced. “I’ve had much worse in my life… This is not even moving the needle,” he shared. His main priority became informing sponsors quickly, as news began to leak, and planning Mercedes’ next move.
That move, as it turned out, involved fast-tracking Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli into a 2025 seat alongside George Russell. Wolff seems unfazed by the prospect of change, ready to navigate this new era for Mercedes.
For Hamilton, the Ferrari switch represents a final, monumental chapter in his career—a chance to win a record-breaking eighth championship in the iconic red overalls. And for Mercedes, it’s the dawn of a new lineup and a fresh opportunity to build a team for the future.
