Nobody knows record world champion Lewis Hamilton better in the Formula 1 world than Toto Wolff. For over a decade, the Austrian, as Mercedes team boss, led the silver arrows-and with them to the British-to historical success.
Between 2013 and 2024 Lewis Hamilton became a total world champion with Mercedes, and he won the World Cup of construct with the German-British team eight times.
His long -time boss Toto Wolff was convinced that Hamilton can also become world champion with the Scuderia Ferrari: “If Lewis can rely on his car and if the car does what he wants – then yes,” said Wolff at a media appointment on the edge of the Hungary race in Budapest.
Wolff made it clear: It is not the skills of the seven -time world champion, but the material. “Not if the car does not give him the desired feedback – as in the past few years at Mercedes and apparently now even worse at Ferrari.” Wolff clearly referred to the fact that Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari has so far been anything but a success.
After a weak qualifying in Budapest, Hamilton himself had been tough with him about two and a half weeks ago. He described himself as “useless” and even indicated that Ferrari might have to look for another driver. Words that fans frightened – but nothing new for Wolff. “Lewis wears his heart on his tongue. That was his honest opinion.”
Wolff: Hamilton is “emotionally transparent”
The 53-year-old said that he had seen such moments many times: “We had this self-doubt in the past. If Lewis had the feeling that he had not fulfilled his own expectations, he was so emotionally transparent as a young and young adult.”
Nevertheless, Wolff remains full of admiration for the 105-time Grand Prix winner: “Lewis definitely has it.” For the Mercedes boss, he is even “the Goat”-the “greatest ever”. A difficult phase does not change this: “Nobody can take the success from 2013 to 2024,” added Wolff.
Already for the coming year, the Viennese expects a significantly stronger car from Ferrari and thus a significantly improved Lewis Hamilton: “Lewis should not go there anywhere. Next year there will be brand new cars that can be driven completely differently – with new drives that require intelligent energy management. This is exactly the right thing for Lewis.”