Lewis Hamilton Gives Stern Response to Toto Wolff’s Ferrari Advantage Claims

Lewis Hamilton isn't mincing his words while negating Toto Wolff's faith in Ferrari gaining a massive boost in pace with the new TD.

Lewis Hamilton Gives Stern Response to Toto Wolff’s Ferrari Advantage Claims

Toto Wolff (via PlanetF1) and Lewis Hamilton (via Getty images)

Ferrari’s start to the 2025 season has been nothing short of a disappointment. In what was supposed to be Lewis Hamilton’s dominant year, he has failed to amass even a podium finish in his first eight outings. However, as the season progresses, Ferrari has planned some significant upgrades coupled with the new Technical Directive (TD), finally clamping down on the flexi-wings fiasco. Upon this, Hamilton’s former team boss, Toto Wolff, believes it will help the team massively.

Lewis Hamilton has not hesitated to accept Ferrari’s shortcomings in performance this year against the rivals. The Briton’s best result has been only a sprint race victory in China as his woes continue. Still, the team remains hopeful that the upcoming Technical Directive, reducing front-wing flex from 15mm to 10mm, could curb McLaren’s dominance. The TD is aimed at tightening regulations around flexible aero components that has provided a debatable unfair advantage.

Mercedes has remained decent in results as compared to Ferrari currently, as McLaren’s superior pace remains unmatched by any of the teams. However, the upcoming TD suggests that there could be a reshuffling in the pace of the teams. Toto Wolff had declared that Ferrari had the most to gain with his change.

Lewis Hamilton has taken a dig at Wolff’s bold claims and revealed the ground reality. Hamilton reckoned that he had no clue where the Austrian came up with such an impression. Still, the 40-year-old hopes that the Mercedes boss is correct, as Ferrari wouldn’t mind a boost in performance. For now, the seven-time champion revealed that there isn’t much to gain as depicted by the results in the simulator.

I don’t know where this impression comes from. I don’t know what makes him think something like that. I hope he’s right *laughs* but I have absolutely no idea who will be affected and who won’t. In the simulator it didn’t make much difference.

Lewis Hamilton said, as reported by F1ingenerale

Lewis Hamilton labels flexi-wings a ‘band aid’ to poor ground-effect era

Multiple teams and drivers suffered from a massive downfall in performance during the ground-effect era since the 2022 season. Lewis Hamilton was the one who went from a hero to a big zero in these regulations, as he achieved only a handful of wins. Now, Hamilton, who has always remained critical of these rules, has sided with the teams using flexi-wings to achieve a boost in performance.

Lewis Hamilton (via Planetf1)
Lewis Hamilton (via Planetf1)

McLaren, amongst some other teams, found a loophole in the regulations that allowed some flexing of the front and rear wings, effectively giving them Mini-DRS. While the legality of this flex remained under scrutiny, Hamilton reckons that it helped improve the feeling of driving the car. Moreover, the Briton labeled the flexi-wings as the band-aid of the poorly formed ground-effect regulations that caused such big problems to the teams.

Ultimately, the flexi wing was a band aid for a poorly-designed technical regulation, I would say, So [it] will be interesting to see how that affects different teams. Some teams probably have flexed more than others, did a better job than others.

Lewis Hamilton noted

The 2025 season has peaked in competition and excitement for multiple teams and drivers at the forefront, as Ferrari seems to miss all the fun. However, the team has showcased resilience to such a slump in performance in the past and is hopeful of resurrecting their pace soon. Now, time will tell if the new TD proves to be even the slightest bit beneficial for the Italian constructor amidst their trying times.

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