Toto Wolff asked if he wishes Lewis Hamilton drove W15 before quitting Mercedes

Toto Wolff was asked if he’d have preferred that Lewis Hamilton looked closely at Mercedes’ F1 2024 car before deciding to quit the team. 

Hamilton’s bombshell announcement that he will be leaving Mercedes to join rivals Ferrari on a multi-year deal from 2025 rocked the F1 world earlier this month, and sent the driver market into a frenzy. 

Although confirmation only came at the start of February, it is understood that Hamilton’s decision was made before he had seen or driven the W15 on the simulator. 

The seven-time world champion is yet to explain his reasons for the blockbuster switch publicly. 

But Mercedes team principal Wolff has been questioned about the move several times, most recently on the opening day of pre-season testing in Bahrain by Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz. 

“I think he’s taken his decision over the winter to join Ferrari and there’s benefits of keeping it to yourself and then deciding maybe at a later stage,” Wolff said. 

"But then also if you have set your mind and you are sailing, that’s ok.” 

When asked if the W15 is a potential race or championship winner, Wolff replied: “Can’t say. 

“We know we have a big mountain to climb. When you have a car out of the blocks like Red Bull have with these new regulations, catching them up is very, very difficult. We can’t really see yet a picture of performance.” 

Mercedes’ revamped W15 challenger - and its unusual front wing design - has caught the attention of rivals in the paddock, but so far at least, neither George Russell or Hamilton have demonstrated any hint of its true pace. 

Russell finished 12th on the first day of running and was well off the pace of Max Verstappen, who ended up over a second clear on what was an ominous start for Red Bull.