Lewis Hamilton’s relationship with Mercedes turned sour when the seven time world champion was allegedly cornered. In his latest appearance on Netflix documentary, the Brit revealed how engineers turned deaf ear to his development suggestions and blatantly disregarded his assessment.
Moreover, the differences of opinion during contract extension negotiation pushed Lewis Hamilton to the edge as he switched to Ferrari for the 2025 season. However, in a recent rumor swirling around the internet, Hamilton’s arch-rival was offered lucrative things to join the team, but the former was denied in the first place, thus causing a stir on social media.
Mercedes’ 90% Employees In Favor Of Toto Wolff Poaching Max Verstappen!
When Lewis Hamilton announced his break up from Mercedes despite having a year left on his extension contract, speculations suggested a rift brewing between the driver and the team hierarchy. Apparently, the British driver, who has given his blood and sweat to the organization in the past decade, wanted to embrace the ambassador role after his racing career. However, the leadership blatantly denied having any association with Hamilton beyond the realms of racing. Naturally, Lewis was hurt, and when Ferrari came up with everything on the table that the Silver Arrows denied, the Brit upheld his self-respect and joined hands with John Elkann. However, a conflicting report from F1 insider Junaid Samodien suggests that the German manufacturer recently made an offer to Max Verstappen.
Since Red Bull exploded due to internal politics, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been in pursuit to poach Max Verstappen to sign him as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement in the second seat. And if Junaid is to be believed, 90% of the team remains on board with Wolff’s alleged plan. However, the report further mentions that the German manufacturer offered Max a lucrative long term contract advertising ambassador contract. The rumors baffled Lewis Hamilton fans, and they called out the team for being disrespectful towards the driver who had achieved six championships with them. Many fans also raised doubt about the Silver Arrows’ loyalty toward Lewis Hamilton. That being said, neither Toto Wolff nor Hamilton are yet to react to these speculations. However, the startling revelations will only add to the divide between the two parties who remain on the last ride of their decade-long association.
Why Did Toto Wolff Deny Lewis Hamilton An Ambassador Role?
The details of the conversations unfolded behind closed doors between Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff are restricted to themselves. However, the rumors swirling suggest that team principal Wolff had no role to play in denying Hamilton his much-deserved ambassador role. He was happy to have Lewis around for as long as possible.
However, it was the German leadership that refused to grant Lewis Hamilton’s long-term wishes. They wanted to invest in youth and present youth energy as the face of the racing outfit. That pretty much explains why Mercedes now wants to offer 25-year-old Max Verstappen everything that was denied to 39-year-old Lewis Hamilton last year.
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