Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff joined Mercedes in 2013, and since then, the luck and fortune of the F1 team have changed forever. From 2014 to 2021, Mercedes won the constructor title consecutively. And the 2021 constructor title glory made Toto Wolff the second most successful team principal in F1 history behind Sir Frank Williams of the Williams F1 team.
Wolff won eight constructor titles and seven driver’s championships back to back. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton won six driver’s championships with Mercedes, adding to his first title with McLaren back in 2008. Hence, it has been one of the most successful driver and team principal collaboration stories in F1 history. However, the same duo has been struggling in recent times under the cost cap era. But they have a pretty firm understanding and communication. Hamilton many a time asserts that he is not too worried about the future, even though his contract with the Silver Arrows is ending after the current season. But the question is if Boss Toto Wolff is losing his patience with his friend and star driver.
Lewis Hamilton Is Beginning To Annoy Toto Wolff?
Moreover, Hamilton says that he will stay with Mercedes as long as his communication with Wolff stays tight. On top of that, Toto Wolff also said several times that the renewal of Hamilton’s contract would happen very soon. At one point, Wolff said, the confirmation of the contract extension will be out there in a few days, not even weeks, and before the Canadian Grand Prix. But it has been too long since the Montreal race. It has been more than half a month since that announcement of Wolff. But now, a new rumor is on the horizon regarding Lewis Hamilton pissing off his team principal. Since the Austrian Grand Prix, qualifying sessions, the seven-time champion has been vocal about the issues with the car. Moreover, with the track limit violations, Hamilton was getting pretty annoyed.
The seven-time champion mentioned, “Sergio Perez was evading the track limits too.” But Lewis Hamilton was not happy with the slow pace of the W14 car. He kept complaining on Sunday. Later, on the final day of the Austrian GP, there was an outburst from Toto Wolff. On the radio, when Hamilton kept complaining about the car’s machinery, the Mercedes boss reacted, saying, “We know, Lewis, the car is not good. But please, Drive It !!!” In the post-race interview, when the interviewers asked Hamilton about Toto’s reaction, the seven-time champion mentioned, “I don’t know why he reacted like that. You’ll need to ask Toto to get the right answer.” Later, Wolff said that his outburst wouldn’t have any effect on the contract negotiations with Lewis Hamilton.
The Slow W14 Is Ruining The Hamilton-Wolff Friendship
However, it is not the first time Lewis Hamilton has been complaining on the radio or otherwise. But Toto Wolff never reacted against Hamilton before. Hence, the question remains, if things are starting to melt down between the two. They have been long friends and successful driver-team principal partners.
But the poor W14 car is damaging the relationship between the star and the team boss. The W14 car, even with new upgrades since Monaco, is not ready to help the Silver Arrows win a championship. The team will have to wait for the next year to fight from the start for the championship.