Lewis Hamilton sealed his Mercedes deal while negotiating with Ferrari, as Toto Wolff kept a bold promise concerning Max Verstappen’s future.
Hamilton was already in talks with Ferrari when he signed his latest contract with Mercedes in mid-2023.
It was on August 31, 2023, when the seven-time world champion and Toto Wolff put pen to paper on what would be their final agreement—a two-year contract with an exit clause after 2024.
When asked when his discussions with Hamilton, now 40, began, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur admitted this week: “It was at the 2023 Monaco GP—May 28, my birthday, to be precise.”
“I immediately understood that the desire was there on his part and that it could happen.”
Hamilton did not deny that he changed his mind in just a few months.
“I remember hanging up the phone and shaking. I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ I had just signed with Mercedes. There was a lot to process, and my emotions were really strong. I needed to go for a walk to clear my head.”
Fascinatingly, a scene from the latest edition of the Netflix series Drive to Survive shows Wolff discussing with his wife, Susie, in early 2024 about who should replace Hamilton.
“Don’t you think Max (Verstappen) is an option?” Susie asked her husband.
“I haven’t spoken to him,” Toto Wolff replied, “because I promised Lewis I wouldn’t.”
“But I’m going to have the conversation now.”
“Carlos [Sainz] is also someone to watch. He has delivered very strong performances. Fernando [Alonso] as well—his race pace and racecraft are still very good.”
Susie then ruled out the second Spaniard, too old for a long-term project: “You’re not going to start a new era with a long contract for Fernando. That would be an interim deal.”
In the end, Verstappen stayed with Red Bull for 2025, and Mercedes signed 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli.
The series also showed an exchange between Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz. The Briton asked the Spaniard if he had reached out to Mercedes F1 about taking his seat.
“What if you spoke to Toto [Wolff]?” Hamilton asked.
“I haven’t spoken to Toto yet. Which makes me feel that if he were really interested, he would have already called me,” Sainz replied.
Sainz then asked Hamilton for his honest opinion on Mercedes’ prospects and whether he thought the Silver Arrows were “in decline.”
“Don’t you think Mercedes will win again?”
Hamilton responded with a sharp dig at his former team: “No, I don’t think so.”
- Discover More>F1’s Drive to Survive S7 : A Troubling Narrative Shift
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Hamilton’s Ferrari Talks: The Twist in His Merc Deal Hamilton’s Ferrari Talks: The Twist in His Merc Deal Hamilton’s Ferrari Talks: The Twist in His Merc Deal
