Toto Wolff has finally given a verdict on Lewis Hamilton’s impending move from Mercedes to Ferrari.
At the beginning of the year, the seven-time world champion made headlines when it was announced that he will replace Carlos Sainz in Ferrari next year.
During a dialogue with BBC Sport, the Mercedes team principal shared, “We decided as a team for that and we were always very transparent with Lewis, and the good thing with him is he is able to put himself in your position and understood where we were coming from.”
When asked if he regrets not keeping Lewis in the team, Toto replied, “Being a driver for Ferrari is super-prestigious. Maybe for us as a team also it is important to emancipate ourselves and go in a different direction.”
The British driver could join the Scuderia by activating a clause in his contract with Mercedes.
“There is no betrayal. It was also for the good of him to change. This was the longest run between a driver and a team. It was 12 years overall. And maybe he needed to, in a way, change and reinvent himself,” he noted.
Kimi Antonelli, who has been racing in F2 this year, will take Lewis’ place and drive along George Russell.