Lewis Hamilton: Toto Wolff sends warning about writing off Ferrari driver after Mercedes change | F1 Information
Toto Wolff believes it’s unwise for anybody to put in writing off Lewis Hamilton amid his former driver’s troublesome first half-season at Ferrari.
Amid Ferrari’s personal disappointing 2025 season, Hamilton has but to report a podium end in his first 10 grands prix for his new group since leaving Wolff’s Mercedes on the finish of final season. Staff-mate Charles Leclerc has recorded three top-three finishes to this point and leads Hamilton – whose finest outcomes have come within the two Sprints – by 25 factors within the standings.
However Wolff, whose group rewrote the report books with seven-time world champion Hamilton throughout 12 seasons at Mercedes, thinks a interval of adaptation for the British driver in his new environment is simply pure.
“You do not unlearn driving that shortly,” mentioned the Mercedes group principal in an interview with the Bloomberg Scorching Pursuit podcast.
“In 2021 he was nice, then the rules modified, and it received just a little bit tougher, however he was nonetheless acting on a really excessive degree.
“And simply by altering groups, abruptly you do not lose your abilities.
“I feel all people must have a interval of adaption. Completely different automobile, completely different DNA of how that car drives, a brand new engineering group that it is advisable to begin to work collectively then be concerned with the continual growth on the automobile so it fits your driving model.
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Lewis Hamilton was devastated when he came upon he hit a groundhog in the course of the race on the Canadian Grand Prix.
“It is an all-Italian group; he is a British man parachuted in there – and that takes time.
“Additionally, we now have seen just a little little bit of a sample that Lewis in the beginning of the season, he wants to search out that mojo after which the second half of the season has been at all times very sturdy.
“So do not ever write Lewis Hamilton off.”
‘You at all times miss an individual like Lewis Hamilton’
Hamilton and Wolff grew to become F1’s most well-known, and profitable, group boss-driver partnership, with the Briton profitable six of his seven Drivers’ Championships whereas on the Silver Arrows and the group claiming an unprecedented eight Constructors’ Championships in succession.
That is the primary season since becoming a member of Mercedes in 2013 that Wolff has not labored with Hamilton, and the Austrian mentioned: “You at all times must miss an individual like Lewis Hamilton.
“We’re nonetheless shut pals. We now have given our phrase to one another that we are going to keep shut pals.
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Talking again in January, Toto Wolff gave his response to seeing the primary photographs of Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari pink.
“We’re combating laborious on observe with the gloves off as a result of we have to struggle for our respective groups and that is the sort of rule we now have. However off observe we spend a while with one another, we journey with one another, and I do not wish to miss the buddy that I’ve gotten for therefore a few years.
“The longest driver-team relationship, 12 years – you not often see that in another sport. And on the subject of creating the automobile, clearly, he has lots of expertise, he has seen all of it and to switch somebody like Lewis Hamilton is at all times going to be troublesome.”
Wolff attracts Piastri instance in Antonelli evaluation
With George Russell taking up the function as Mercedes’ senior driver following Hamilton’s departure, the Brackley group selected to look to the longer term for his or her different seat and promoted Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli to motorsport’s high degree.
The 18-year-old Italian has already achieved two early vital milestones in F1 – a maiden pole within the Miami Dash in Might after which a primary podium a fortnight in the past in a Canadian GP received by Russell – whereas there have additionally inevitably been a couple of tougher weekends too to this point in his rookie marketing campaign.
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Mercedes’ George Russell and Kimi Antonelli mirror on their first and third place finishes respectively.
Requested how lengthy he thought it might possible take a younger driver like Antonelli to succeed in the highest of their recreation in F1, Wolff replied: “That has modified in the previous few years as a result of it’s so troublesome to handle the tyres.
“It is not solely about velocity – how briskly are you able to go in a single lap or in a race – however nurturing the tyres to drive as quick as you’ll be able to in the identical time not sliding them and never making them overheat since you lose tonnes of lap time. That’s the limitation for younger drivers developing.
“An excellent instance is Piastri, who’s main the championship. It took him a 12 months and a half to catch as much as Lando Norris and it has been the primary 12 months that he has an edge on him and that’s I feel simply the tyre administration.
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Kimi Antonelli had an in-depth dialogue with Ted Kravitz, reflecting on his life rising up, his first season in Formulation 1 with Mercedes and his hopes for the longer term.
“With Kimi, he would not know all the circuits. It was the primary time in Montreal, so that you begin with an enormous drawback, however the automobile was good and he was in a position to be quick.
“However you in all probability want to have a look at the three-year programme and say that is the time it wants for a younger driver to problem your extra skilled team-mates, which can be additionally super-fast. I imply, George immediately is among the many finest drivers in Formulation 1. That is one thing it is advisable to give them, time.”
Sky Sports activities F1’s Austrian GP schedule
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Look again at among the most dramatic moments all through the years on the Austrian Grand Prix.
Thursday June 26
2pm: Drivers’ Press Convention
Friday June 27
8.50am: F3 Follow
10am: F2 Follow
12pm: Austrian GP Follow One (session begins at 12.30pm)*
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying*
2.50pm: F2 Qualifying*
3.35pm: Austrian GP Follow Two (session begins at 4pm)*
5.15pm: The F1 Present*
Saturday June 28
9am: F3 Dash
11.15pm: Austrian GP Follow Three (session begins at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Dash
2.15pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up*
3pm: AUSTRIAN GP QUALIFYING*
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Pocket book
Sunday June 29
7.25am: F3 Characteristic Race
8.55am: F2 Characteristic Race
10.40am: Porsche Supercup
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up*
2pm: THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP response*
5pm: Ted’s Pocket book
*additionally on Sky Sports activities Important Occasion
Subsequent up for the 2025 Formulation 1 season is a return to Europe for the Austrian Grand Prix, which is reside on Sky Sports activities F1 this weekend. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.