Wolff foresees ‘no surprises’ over his and Hamilton’s F1 futures

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says he does not expect “any surprises” regarding his and Lewis Hamilton’s futures at the team.

Both Wolff and Hamilton are out of contract at the end of the 2020 season, with their respective futures subject to much speculation in recent weeks and months.

Wolff has been linked with the CEO position at F1, while talk of a possible switch to Ferrari for Hamilton ramped up over the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.

“My role is a little bit different and what I found out is that I enjoy the relationships within the team and the relationship to the decision-makers in Daimler,” Wolff said at the FIA prize giving ceremony in Paris.

“That is a fundamental part of my wellbeing. They have really trusted us and given us all the room we need to make this team successful and I’m not taking it lightly to come up with the right decision for all of us.

“This is a process that is going to take a little bit of time but I don’t see any surprises actually, as it stands.”

Wolff revealed he and Hamilton have kept each other in the loop regarding their current situation and insisted he is not fazed by the continued speculation surrounding both, adding that paddock rumours are simply “part of F1”.

“The two of us [Hamilton] have been together for quite a while, we trust each other,” he explained. “We have gone through difficult times together and we have come out stronger with a better bond.

“Besides us there are many others which form part of that inner circle within the team. Of course we talk all the time about where we see the team going and Lewis’ career going.

“In terms of the silly season it’s normal. You guys [the media] drop us little grenades and sometimes we pick them up and they explode in our hands. It’s part of the narrative and it’s good that over the winter these talks happen.

“But at the same time the two of us talk all the time about it. They have never been surprises when things came out in the press, there were weeks or months that we knew about each other and what our thinking was.”