Lewis Hamilton “rolling the dice” as Toto Wolff admits being blind sided by Ferrari move

Toto Wolff spoke at a Mercedes press conference the morning after Lewis Hamilton announced he would be leaving to join F1 rivals Ferrari in 2025.

Toto Wolff has admitted he doesn’t know why Lewis Hamilton has changed his mind about his Formula 1 future just months after signing a new contract with Mercedes.

Hamilton is expected to leave Mercedes for rival Ferrari at the end of 2024. The move became official after it was announced late Thursday. It comes just 24 hours after the seven-time world champion spoke to trainer Wolff.

The Austrian held a press conference on Friday to explain to reporters how his host broke the news. “When we signed Lewis last August, we opted for a short-term deal, so the incident is not unexpected, it’s probably just the timing,” he said of the situation. “He told me over coffee at my house in Oxford on Wednesday that he has decided to race with Ferrari in 2025. He really is. We talked for an hour, and now we’re here.”

The timing of the announcement drew a lot of attention. Not only did Hamilton not spend a full season at Mercedes before his move, but he decided to leave just five months after committing his future to the team. Wolff was asked what would change Britain’s future, but he couldn’t answer. “I can’t tell you [what has changed],” he said. Let me tell you, I was in the same position at Christmas time.

“Ask Lewis why he changed his mind. The way he spoke to me was clear. He needs a new challenge, he is looking for a different environment and this was his last chance to do something different.