Guardiola’s Advice Guides Wolff on Hamilton Departure

Toto Wolff cites Guardiola’s wisdom as he navigates Hamilton’s exit, embracing the philosophy of “let them go” for a smooth transition.

Toto Wolff revealed how advice from Pep Guardiola shaped his response to Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari.

News that Hamilton would leave Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025 emerged on the eve of the 2024 season in February, with the Briton exercising a break clause in the two-year (one-year + one-year option) contract he signed in summer 2023.

Discussing his reaction to the news, Wolff described a conversation with Manchester City manager Guardiola, one of the most decorated football managers globally, with 39 trophies won during his tenures with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and City.

“I think if someone decides to leave, you have to let them go. That’s the advice I received,” Wolff explained.

“I had a conversation with Pep Guardiola a while ago; he’s a friend. I asked him, ‘What do you do if a player leaves?’ and he replied, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘Well, do you try to convince them to stay?’ And he said, ‘No, if someone thinks they can play better or earn more elsewhere, you just have to let them go.’”

“This is something I accept in the same way in F1; if someone wants to leave, then let’s make it as good as possible for all parties involved and focus on what happens next.”

Wolff had previously revealed that he made the decision to replace Hamilton with Antonelli “in five minutes,” but explained he needed additional validation from key individuals to support his choice.

“There’s an instinctive, internal response I had within myself, and that was the opportunity for Kimi.”

“On the other hand, there was an upcoming F2 season, a lot of testing for Kimi, so you have to take a step back and calm down: ‘Wait a minute, that’s your instinctive reaction.’”

“That’s probably what will happen, but there could be turning points where it’s necessary to act rationally and logically, drawing on the minds of all the right people I work with at Mercedes.”

“I spoke with Markus [Schäfer, member of the Mercedes-Benz board] and in Stuttgart, and it’s important to seek their input before reaching a final conclusion.”

“The decision was made with Ola [Kallenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz], Gwen [Lagrue, head of our junior program], James Allison [technical director], and Bradley Lord [communications director], just to confirm my initial instinct.”