Fernando Alonso phoned Toto Wolff when he heard Lewis Hamilton was leaving

Fernando Alonso picked up the phone to call Toto Wolff when he heard that Mercedes would have a shock vacancy.

Mercedes boss Wolff has recounted the whispers leading up to Lewis Hamilton’s announcement that he would exit the team.

Hamilton will embark on a new journey with Ferrari in 2025.

“I wasn’t shocked at all,” Wolff told The Guardian about Hamilton visiting him to tell him the bad news.

“I knew this was happening a few weeks earlier when I got a phone call from Carlos Sainz and his father.

“He said: ‘Something is cooking.’ I said: ‘Why would that happen before the start of the season?’

“But that same afternoon I received calls from a few other drivers that were close to Charles Leclerc. Fernando Alonso too.

“I think it started from Leclerc knowing over the winter and then his closest allies hearing there was a seat free.

“I said to Susie: ‘This is happening without us officially knowing.’”

Wolff sent a message to Ferrari counterpart Fred Vasseur, who is also a close friend, which went unanswered.

He chose not to confront Hamilton personally.

“I did not want to put him in a situation where he had to lie to me because at that stage the contract wasn’t signed,” Wolff said.

Hamilton will seek a record eighth F1 championship with Ferrari in 2025.

Mercedes will bring in rookie Kimi Antonelli, while George Russell will become their senior driver.

“There is an emotional side because we’ve been on this journey together,” Wolff said about Hamilton.

“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 turning 27 and the junior driver being 18.

“We have two drivers barely older together than Lewis. That’s very exciting.”