Toto Wolff was prepared to make “horror” Lewis Hamilton decision: “I would have done it”
“I would have done it. But that would have been a real horror for me and for him.”
Toto Wolff has revealed he was prepared to tell Lewis Hamilton he was too old for his Mercedes F1 contract to be renewed had he not opted to join Ferrari instead.
Hamilton’s shock switch to Ferrari was announced on the eve of the season in February, with the moving bringing an end to the British driver's long association with Mercedes.
Hamilton has won six of his seven titles with Mercedes and remains the sport’s most successful driver-team combination.
However, in recent years, Mercedes have struggled to get a grasp of F1’s ground effect rules.
Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes has been a hot topic in recent weeks due to the release of a new book titled ‘Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane’.
In the book, Wolff claimed that “everyone has a shelf life”, suggesting that Hamilton is possibly past his best and his departure saved a difficult conversation further down the line.
While Wolff has stated this particular comment was out of context, the Mercedes boss confirmed he was ready to inform Hamilton that his contract would not be renewed.
In an interview with The Guardian, Wolff said: “I would have done it. But that would have been a real horror for me and for him.”
“Benefits in change”
Wolff opted to promote 18-year-old wonderkid Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton’s replacement.
The Austrian believes there are clear “benefits in change” following Hamilton’s decision to leave.
“There is an emotional side because we’ve been on this journey together,” Wolff added. “The friendship will change, but not the depth of emotion. On the contrary. This will be a new friendship with Lewis.
“On the professional side, I always see benefits in change. We have new regulations, we have reshaped our organisation and we’re embarking on a new era with our senior driver [George Russell] turning 27 and the junior driver [Kimi Antonelli] being 18. We have two drivers barely older together than Lewis [who is 40 in January]. That’s very exciting.”
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