Toto Wolff warned he will “live to regret” Lewis Hamilton’s exit
“The romantic ending should have been with Mercedes"
Toto Wolff has been told that he will “regret” Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes.
Hamilton’s decision to switch to Ferrari this season has united Formula 1’s most successful driver and team.
His search for an all-time record eighth F1 drivers’ title will now be with his famous new team, rather than with Mercedes who helped him to six of his seven titles so far.
“I can’t see Toto ever admitting that he regrets it,” Connor McDonagh told the Crash F1 podcast about Hamilton’s exit.
“But Hamilton has been at Mercedes for so much of his career.
“The romantic ending should have been with Mercedes, winning the eighth title with Mercedes.
“If Hamilton wins that eighth title, Toto will be happy for his mate, but it should’ve been with Mercedes.
“Hamilton is the biggest and most popular driver in the sport.
“In time, I think Toto will live to regret it.”
Mercedes must have 'an eye on the future'
Hamilton lost out on the record eighth title at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which kickstarted Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s era of domination.
For three seasons, Mercedes could not give Hamilton the machinery to contest the title.
Lewis Larkam told the Crash F1 podcast: “Mercedes are losing a huge figure. Not only what he does on track, but everything that comes with Hamilton as a package.
“I think there will be less attention on Mercedes this season.
“The storyline last season was - although Mercedes were less competitive - about Hamilton’s struggles, and his final season with Mercedes.
“If they win a race or are in a championship-winning scenario, there will be focus on Mercedes. But generally I think there will be less, this season.
“That is ultimately because Hamilton has left.
“If Mercedes are running around in fourth or fifth, they won’t be the story or the focus.
“It will be interesting to see if there is any element of regret. Publicly they won’t admit that.
“They have to have an eye on the future, as well. Hamilton won’t be around forever and they didn’t want to miss out on Kimi Antonelli, who they view as a superstar of the future.”
