31/01/2025
NEWS STORY
Toto Wolff admits to finding it difficult to handle seeing Lewis Hamilton wearing the colours of Ferrari.
Over the course of twelve seasons with Mercedes, Hamilton won 84 grands prix and six titles, but in a shock move just over a year ago announced that he was leaving the German team for Ferrari.
Wolff has previously admitted being shocked by the Briton's decision, and towards the end of last season made a number of comments that appeared to suggest his relationship with the driver had soured, but both denied this.
Indeed, speaking in the wake of Hamilton's first tests with the Italian team, Wolff admits to feeling emotional.
"It's a little bit like you divorce amicably, and it's all good, and then you see your partner for the first time with a new friend!" the Austrian told Sky Sports.
"But I'm really happy for him," he added, "and I told him that those pictures were iconic that he made... it was so well curated and no surprise with Lewis."
While many, particularly in the British media, had long claimed that Hamilton wanted to jump ship to the Maranello outfit, few believed he would do it, especially considering the domination he had enjoyed with Mercedes.
However, over the last couple of seasons the German team has struggled, the Briton undergoing back-to-back years in which he failed to score a single victory.
While Hamilton will now race for the Prancing Horse, Wolff is confident that his team can give George Russell and Kimi Antonelli a winning car.
"We were scratching our head a lot last year, particularly in the beginning," said the Austrian. "Like all the other teams, we had ups and downs; we had some very dominant performances and then other races that were not so good.
"At the end of the day, when the flag drops, we're going to see in qualifying in Melbourne where we stand," he admitted.
Meanwhile, Piero Ferrari, son of the Maranello team's founder Enzo, has revealed when he first realised he might be able to entice Hamilton to the Scuderia.
"The first time he came to us was when he bought a LaFerrari," he tells Autosprint. "He spent quite a bit of time at the factory studying how to customize it. Then in the evening, he came to say goodbye and I asked him if he wanted to stay for dinner with me.
"He was enthusiastic," he continued, "we talked about cars but not only that, and I discovered a truly pleasant person, out of the ordinary. We were at the Cavallino restaurant, him with his dog.
"He came back several times, mainly talking with the people in charge of the commercial side."
Admitting that the seven time world champion didn't initially express an interest on seeing the race division, Ferrari adds: "Over the years we have talked and joked here and there. He expressed to me several times the desire to race with us, but he was tied to commitments with Mercedes and we were equally tied to our drivers.
"Then the moment came when both Lewis and we saw the opportunity to start negotiations," he continues. "And the signature came."
Dismissing claims that at 40 Hamilton might be past his best, Ferrari says: "He is fit, both physically and mentally, it doesn't seem to me that age is a problem.
"He has accepted the challenge with enormous enthusiasm, so he is confident in his abilities."
Hamilton's second outing with his new team didn't go quite as smoothly as planned, with the Briton crashing his SF-23 at Barcelona on Wednesday.
Such was the damage, Charles Leclerc was unable to take over in the afternoon leaving Antonio Giovinazzi and academy driver Dino Beganovic to complete the test yesterday.
It's understood that in order to give Hamilton further mileage under the TPC programme, the Briton will run alongside the planned tyre test Pirelli is holding with Ferrari (and McLaren) at the Spanish track.