Toto Wolff reveals Carlos Sainz Sr tip-off about Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed Carlos Sainz Sr first warned him about Lewis Hamilton’s shock switch to F1 rivals Ferrari.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton shocked the F1 world in February when he announced he would leave Mercedes after 12 seasons to join Ferrari in 2025. The 39-year-old will replace Carlos Sainz, having opted to trigger an escape clause in his contract.

Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Wolff confirmed he first caught wind of Hamilton’s move from outgoing Ferrari driver Sainz’s father.

“So I heard the bells ringing two weeks before,” Wolff said. “Yeah, the old man Sainz called me and said, this is what’s happening.

“And then there were a few drivers’ dads rang me up that didn’t before. So I thought, Okay…there’s something going on there.”

Wolff reached out to Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur via text but received no response, prompting further suspicion.

“Then I sent a text to Fred Vasseur saying: ‘You’re taking our driver?’ Didn’t get any response. Very unusual for Fred. He’s a good friend. So yeah, I saw it coming,” he added.

Wolff said Hamilton then informed him that he had agreed to join Ferrari during a meeting to his house prior to the official announcement.

“But then obviously, when Lewis arrived in the house like he did so many years before, we had a bit of small talk like we always do, about Christmas holidays and all of that,” he said.

“I said, ‘We’re recruiting from Ferrari now, we’ve got this guy,’ and Lewis was, ‘Ooh, there’s something I need to tell you.’

“When he said that, that initial moment was a little bit of, so this is really happening, I can’t imagine you anywhere else than Mercedes.

“But instantly, it’s, OK, what are we doing with this? There is always opportunity.”