Mercedes boss Toto Wolf reportedly leaked Lewis Hamilton’s $430 million move to Ferrari to the media

Lewis Hamilton is set to chase glory final season with Mercedes in 2024.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolf reportedly leaked Lewis Hamilton’s $430 million move to Ferrari to the media

Lewis Hamilton (in circle) Fred Vassuer and Toto Wolff (Via IMAGO)

Lewis Hamilton shocked the entire Formula One grid in the off-season after it was announced that he would end his contract with Mercedes in 2024 and join Ferrari. He has signed a multi-year contract with the Italian team worth $430 million. Hamilton is fulfilling one of his childhood dreams by racing for Ferrari and is hoping to write a legacy similar to Michael Schumacher.

The timing of the announcement was a huge surprise for the racing community as it came out of nowhere in the most random time possible. Now according to the latest reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, the announcement was supposed to happen mid-way to the 2024 season and it was Mercedes principal Toto Wolf who leaked the messages to the media, according to ex-F1 driver Ivan Capelli.

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‘It was a trip by Toto Wolff to Hamilton and Ferrari‘ – the words of the former driver now a pundit on TV on Rai first and now on Sky – ‘it burned an announcement to be made during the current season‘

La Gazzetta dello Sport reported (H&T: Formula Passion).

If the allegation made were true, it’s a big reach of trust towards Hamilton and Ferrari by Wolff. But this seems very unlikely as Wolff has a strong friendship with Hamilton and the current Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur.

Toto Wolff concentrates on performance improvements as Mercedes gets ready for the Bahrain GP

Toto Wolff states that the team’s “focus at the test was on learning about the car” preview of the Bahrain Grand Prix, saying, “With all the drama that comes with it, it’s exciting to be starting a new campaign and a new season.” The W13 and W14 were inherently good, but it was frequently too hard to bring them as those were unreliable machines and they were not expecting the situation to repeat in 2024.

Toto Wolff
Toto Wolff (via IMAGO)
Therefore, we had one clear goal for 2024: to build a reliable and consistent platform. a vehicle that would respond as anticipated. A vehicle that the drivers could reliably push. Additionally, one that we can improve on all year long because we know we are bringing real-world performance to the track.
Wolff said.

The 2024 season would be vital for Mercedes as they have multiple decisions to make and goals to achieve. These include making sure they give Hamilton a proper sent-off while also developing a car capable of fighting for the championship from 2025 and beyond. They also have to find the proper replacement for Hamilton.

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