Hamilton says next F1 boss must be independent from teams

Lewis Hamilton believes the next person to run Formula 1 should be “neutral” and not from within a team environment.

There have been suggestions that current Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is considering the possibility of succeeding Chase Carey as F1’s CEO after his contract with the German manufacturer expires at the end of 2020.

Although Hamilton reckons Wolff is potentially the best manager in the entire paddock, he thinks the championship's next boss should not have ties to a team to ensure no bias creeps in. 

“I don’t believe there’s a better manager within whole of F1 [than Toto],” Hamilton said.

“However, sitting back as a fan, when you sit in the room with people who have to make the ultimate decision, we as humans, we can be biased.

“You’ve got Jean Todt [FIA president], I know Jean’s level, but the fact is he’s been with the red team for so long, surely when he wakes up, if there’s a red T-shirt and a silver T-shirt, surely he goes for the red one.

“That’s just like when I get out of bed and see 44 or number six I will go for 44 and Toto has been Mercedes through and through for such a long period of time, I don’t know if there is anything in that.

“If it’s a choice of management I think he would be the best, but I think the best is someone from outside who is neutral, if that is possible.”

And Hamilton does not feel that teams should have any sway on future decisions due to having their own best interests at heart. 

“I think ultimately the FIA, they’re the governing body and they need to make all the decisions - the teams shouldn’t be involved in that in my opinion because the teams all want to do something for themselves,” he explained.

“It’s the same in football, if all the teams sat in a room and said sport should be like this they would push and pull for their own benefit.

“But if you get central group of people telling us, like the FIA for example, that their sole job is to make the sport great again, hiring individuals or whatever, they should have the power. They should make the decisions.”