Sir Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff are in their final season together as the team principal-star driver duo for Mercedes. The Austrian billionaire executive shall continue playing the same role for the Silver Arrows in the coming years. However, the epic journey that started with Hamilton will come to an end after the 2024 season. Both the driver and the executive joined the German team in 2013, and the rest is history. From 2014 to 2021, there was no stopping the Mercedes F1 team. They won eight constructor titles in a row. In the turbo-hybrid era, Lewis Hamilton was the most dominant racer, winning six titles.
He could have won his overall eighth title in 2021 if Max Verstappen had not denied him. Although Mercedes won the constructor title that year, Hamilton finished without the championship. Later, from 2022 to this day, the seven-time champion has been winless. On the other hand, Mercedes managed to win just one race in 2022 (The Brazilian Grand Prix). However, even the German team stayed winless in 2023. Clearly, they have lost their grip on the title for a while now. Apparently, Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton can’t even be on the same page regarding their car’s potential anymore.
Lewis Hamilton And Toto Wolff Have Different Views On W15’s Potential
On Friday, Lewis Hamilton had a P18 finish during the practice session. Later, the seven-time champion told Sky F1 that he had one of the worst sessions after Friday’s practice. Moreover, Hamilton said it was the least confident feeling he had with W15. Later, Mercedes made some setup changes. In FP3, Lewis Hamilton felt that the car was “Great.” But in Q2, he faced a knockout as he finished at P11. Later, the seven-time champion noted that another inconsistency within the car was really messing with his mind. The great British racer also mentioned that the W15 car was “On a bit of a knife edge.”
Moreover, he needs his team to make a long list of changes to the 2024 challenger. However, it seems George Russell and Toto Wolff may not be on the same page with the seven-time champion. Hamilton’s teammate also had a DNF in Melbourne. But Russell said he was not having the same fluctuations in confidence or performance as his teammate. Later, Toto Wolff mentioned there is more to the W15’s potential. And most importantly, Wolff believes the W15 is not a bad car. As a result, Sky Sports reporter Ted Kravitz believes Hamilton and Wolff have contrasting views on W15.
What Would Boss Wolff Will Do Next?
During the Australian GP weekend, Ted Kravitz mentioned in his Notebook that Toto Wolff was a bit too optimistic about the car as Lewis Hamilton does not think it is going to get there. Kravitz believes there are still 21 races to go. Hence, Hamilton can still try to score some points and podium finishes. But Ted Kravitz is afraid that Hamilton might think the car’s cursed. Perhaps there are still the same bad handling characteristics from previous seasons, particularly around the rear of the car.
Kravitz said the car was clearly not right. However, Toto Wolff thinks they can make it right. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton seems to be not thinking about winning the championship anymore with W15. Anyway, Red Bull and Max Verstappen are the favorites to win the titles again. However, it is really a long way to go this season. And Red Bull already faced issues with their car in the third race of the year.
Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.
