Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013. Since then, everything changed for the German manufacturers in the F1 sport. They had been trying to compete against the best for a long time. But they were not among the title contenders. Even the great Michael Schumacher came out of retirement to join Mercedes for a couple of seasons around 2011-2012. However, the dominating era of the Silver Arrows began in 2014 with the start of the turbo-hybrid era.
Since then, Mercedes has dominated the grid till 2021. Toto Wolff and Mercedes have been immensely successful during that period, winning eight constructor titles and seven driver’s titles. Sir Lewis Hamilton won six world championships and helped Mercedes become the most successful powerhouse of the last decade. But the failures since last year have not let Lewis Hamilton fight for the eighth title and try to surpass Michael Schumacher. The Mercedes boss says, “Lewis Hamilton is the most important personality in the sport right now.”
Toto Wolff Says Mercedes Owes Hamilton His Eighth Championship
The Mercedes W14 is better than W13 but still not helping the team win a race this year. There is high doubt that Mercedes will win any race this season. Moreover, the rival Red Bull has won all the races and looking to stretch the streak to the whole year. But Mercedes principal Toto Wolff is determined to provide Hamilton with a championship-winning car in the upcoming years. Wolff told Sky Sports F1 that Hamilton is an incredible and multi-dimensional personality. Moreover, Toto Wolff believes Hamilton is the most important F1 personality in recent times.
"We owe him an 8th World Championship" 🏆
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 4, 2023
Toto Wolff has nothing but praise for Lewis Hamilton's impact both on and off the track 👊 pic.twitter.com/w6FkqN2eRt
But mainly because of what Lewis Hamilton has done for the German Manufacturers, Wolff feels that they owe Hamilton the eighth championship. The Mercedes boss praised his star driver more, saying that he is a trailblazer for sustainability and diversity. Moreover, Toto Wolff believes Hamilton is more than just an F1 racer. He is great as an entrepreneur and a politician. But the seven-time champion is 38 already and is going through a rough patch along with the team. Nobody knows how long it will take Mercedes to catch up to Red Bull. The current table toppers have the fastest car on the grid at present.
Mercedes Must Overcome Many Challenges Before Helping Lewis Hamilton With His Eighth Title
On the other hand, Mercedes is struggling with their car’s pace. Lewis Hamilton complained about the rear end and the seat position as well. But the Brackley team will need many more races to catch up with their rivals. Lewis Hamilton hopes his team can provide him with the car that helps him to fight for the title from the opening race in 2024. But the fans are eagerly waiting to see Hamilton end his win drought.
It was for the first time in his career, was what happened last year, and Hamilton did not win a single race in a season. The Briton is still winless. However, he got three podiums so far. Hamilton got P2 finishes twice this year. In Montreal, Hamilton was only 10 seconds behind the eventual winner Max Verstappen.