Toto Wolff concedes Mercedes won’t be title contenders before 2026, acknowledging why Lewis Hamilton opted for a fresh challenge with Ferrari.
Toto Wolff has already downplayed expectations for Mercedes’ 2025 Formula 1 season.
After securing titles in an unprecedented streak with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg until 2021, the team, its seven-time world champion, and George Russell have experienced a decline in the new ground-effect era.
So much so that Lewis Hamilton decided to see if the grass was more competitive elsewhere—at Ferrari.
“I don’t deny the issues we have faced,” said the German team’s boss and co-owner.
“Two years of technical hesitation certainly played a role in Lewis’ decision. But when looking closely at the data, we can see that we were not the only ones, including last year, to have inconsistent performances.”
As for how Hamilton will fare in red, Wolff responded: “When he has a competitive car, Lewis is always the best. We couldn’t guarantee him that.”
“We’re talking about a driver who can bring a lot to Formula 1 and to the team welcoming him, I have no doubt about that.”
Wolff has replaced Hamilton with his young protégé, Kimi Antonelli, explaining that he was determined not to “repeat the mistake” of allowing Max Verstappen, then just as young, to be signed by Red Bull.
The Mercedes F1 boss stated that he would keep the young Italian “under his umbrella” to shield him from pressure as he adapts in 2025.
“Kimi and the team are aware that they should not expect anything before 2026. On that front, Valtteri Bottas has also returned to help us, and Kimi in particular.”
“If anything happens before 2026, it will be a bonus. I would love to see an Italian driver win again. It has been a long time, and it would be a great story to write.”
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Wolff Gets Why Hamilton Walked Away Wolff Gets Why Hamilton Walked Away
