Why Toto Wolff felt the timing was right for Hamilton to leave

Follow us on Google Discover

Team principal reflects on growing tensions at Mercedes and the timing of Lewis Hamilton’s departure.

Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari is one he may already be questioning. The seven-time world champion has described his opening chapter with the Scuderia as a “nightmare,” with results far below expectations.

While Mercedes also failed to give Hamilton a genuine title-winning car in his final seasons, he was still a regular podium finisher. Unless he reaches the top three in Abu Dhabi this weekend, Hamilton will finish an entire year without a single podium celebration. Compounding the situation, Mercedes are widely viewed as favourites for the 2026 regulation reset — a seat Hamilton chose to walk away from.

Toto Wolff explains why the timing felt right for Hamilton’s exit

Between them, Hamilton and Mercedes built one of the most successful partnerships in sporting history. He claimed 84 wins and six world titles with the team across 246 race starts — the longest driver-team relationship Formula 1 has ever seen.

Yet, Toto Wolff has now suggested that the relationship had begun to strain in its final phase. Speaking to The Telegraph, the Mercedes boss admitted that, after more than a decade together, both sides were starting to “annoy each other.” Hamilton’s frustration over uncompetitive machinery was clear, but Wolff also acknowledged a noticeable dip in performance during the 2024 season.

Wolff said he chose to embrace change when Hamilton confirmed his departure, especially with teenage prodigy Kimi Antonelli already lined up as a long-term successor. With Antonelli currently seventh in the championship, he could still finish ahead of Hamilton if he outscores him by at least two points this weekend.

“I like change generally — I like the challenge and opportunities it presents,” Wolff explained. “When Lewis resigned, I immediately started thinking, ‘What will we do now? Let’s embrace it.’ I think anyway that, after 12 years, we had started to annoy each other. I already had this young kid in the pipeline.”

How Kimi Antonelli’s rookie year stacks up against Hamilton’s final season

Despite their professional separation, Wolff and Hamilton have remained close, continuing to meet away from the paddock and even travelling together to races. Inside Mercedes, there is also sympathy for Hamilton’s struggles at Ferrari, with communications chief Bradley Lord admitting the team “feel sorry” for the lack of reward for his efforts.

On track, Antonelli’s rookie campaign has shown flashes of promise but also heavy inconsistency. He has scored 150 of Mercedes’ 459 points this season — just under one-third of the team’s total. By comparison, even during one of his weakest seasons last year, Hamilton still accounted for 47.7% of Mercedes’ points.

The hope at Brackley is that Antonelli makes a significant step forward in his second year, ironing out the errors that have defined much of his debut campaign and justifying the bold decision to move on from one of Formula 1’s greatest ever drivers.