Toto Wolff discusses Hamilton’s pre-season Ferrari switch without testing Mercedes’ W15, sparking debates on F1 strategies and future performances.
Would Toto Wolff have preferred Lewis Hamilton to have his first impressions of the Mercedes F1 W15 on track before deciding to leave the team for Ferrari at the end of the season in 2025? That was the question posed to him in Sakhir.
Indeed, Hamilton decided to sign for Scuderia before even knowing whether the W15, an F1 with a completely revised concept, would be competitive this year or not.
Some have speculated that his impressions in the simulator were enough, but Wolff asserts that was not the case.
“I think he made his decision over the winter to join Ferrari, and there are benefits to keeping that to oneself and perhaps announcing that decision later.”
“It was before the simulator since he only drove the final model a few days after the announcement.”
So, should he have waited to see what the W15 was worth? Can it reconnect with victories or even titles?
“If you’ve decided deep down to go elsewhere, it’s sometimes difficult to keep that decision to yourself or wait,” Wolff acknowledges.
“As for the success or otherwise of the W15, I can’t say at this stage.”
“We know we have a big mountain to climb. When you have a car like Red Bull’s with these new regulations, it is very, very hard to catch up.”
“We can’t really have a real sense of the performance and the gaps yet; we will know at the first race.”
Hamilton’s W15 Test Before Ferrari Move: Wolff’s Take. Hamilton’s W15 Test Before Ferrari Move: Wolff’s Take
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