Lewis Hamilton labels the reports suggesting Toto Wolff orchestrated George Russell’s Suzuka pass on him as “BS”

Two weeks ago, at Suzuka’s Japanese GP, Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had a showdown. Their battle led both to run off the track, impacting their race. Meanwhile, team boss Toto Wolff was absent due to knee surgery. A few reports suggested Wolff directed Russell’s move on Hamilton, a notion that is vehemently denied by the 38-year-old.

Wolff, recovering from knee surgery due to a mountain biking injury, missed the Suzuka race and the following weekend. Despite his absence, Lewis Hamilton insists Wolff remains deeply involved in team affairs. Even away, Hamilton states Toto actively contributes to strategy discussions, emphasizing his impactful participation from afar.

Speaking to Autosport.com about Toto’s absence, the Mercedes driver said, “He’s still 100% fully part [of everything], he’s just not physically here in the country.” He emphasized that Toto actively contributes to strategy discussions through remote communication, ensuring his impactful participation even from afar.

Back in Suzuka, George Russell attempted to pass Hamilton into the spoon curve, but the move resulted in both of them running out of the track. Lewis recounted this and replied that the claims that this move was orchestrated by his team boss were totally false. “I saw someone wrote the other day that he had to call in or something for the last race, which was BS,” the Briton said.

Discover: Lewis Hamilton declares his fears about the ‘challenging’ Qatar GP

Lewis Hamilton claims that Toto Wolff has earned the right to take weekends off

The Austrian business magnate also abstained from the Japanese and Brazilian Grands Prix last year, aiming to delegate responsibilities and showcase the team’s capability to function effectively in his absence. Hamilton claims that Toto has built a smoothly working team that he can afford to take such leaves of absence. 

Hamilton acknowledged, “He’s worked incredibly hard to set up this team to be where it is today.” Highlighting Wolff’s well-deserved break, Hamilton asserted that the team principal has the right to enjoy weekends off. Acknowledging Wolff’s leadership, Hamilton humorously added, that if he owned the team, he’d take weekends off as well. While clarifying Wolff’s absence as due to recovery, Hamilton emphasized the privilege Wolff holds to exercise such a choice.

Hamilton assured Wolff of the team’s dedication while he was away. They share a strong bond and often talk about racing. Hamilton praised Wolff as a key part of their Formula 1 success. He’s confident in their continued progress. As the Qatar GP approaches, Mercedes must give them all to maintain second place in the standings.

In case you missed it:

• Liam Lawson admits he had ZERO idea about Qatar proxy and only got to know about it from Daniel Ricciardo via FaceTime
• Lewis Hamilton brands his relationship with F1 a ‘love-hate story’

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