Toto Wolff believes that the “magic” for Lewis Hamilton is “still there” amid some struggles for the seven-time World Champion during his few races at Ferrari, with Wolff confident that Hamilton will be “stellar” when he has fully aligned with the car.
After a 12-year stint with Mercedes – that brought with it multiple titles and successes – Hamilton opted to leave at the end of 2024 to join the Scuderia on a multi-year deal, a move that sent shockwaves through the F1 world when it was announced.
While there have been some high points during Hamilton’s time with the Italian outfit so far – including a dominant victory from pole in the Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix – the Briton has been open about some of the issues he has faced as he continues to adapt to the SF-25.
When asked during the Miami Grand Prix weekend if he had been surprised by the challenging start that Hamilton has faced at Ferrari or if he still believed that the “magic” was there, Wolff admitted that he had no doubts about his former driver’s capabilities.
Hamilton has faced some ups and downs during his first few races as a Ferrari driver
“I think we saw that magic in the Sprint race [in Shanghai],” the Mercedes boss explained. “He was completely dominating that race. It’s not like you have the magic in one race and then suddenly you lose the magic in the next one.
“I very much believe that it’s still there. If he aligns all his performance contributors and feels he is in the right space and the car is to his liking, he will be stellar. I have no doubt. But I’m also not surprised it has those road bumps.
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“He was with us 12 years – the way of operating. He’s been put in a Ferrari, where his team mate [Charles Leclerc] has been [for] a long time, and his team mate clearly is one of the very good ones. So from the outside, and speaking to him, it’s a trajectory any new driver needs to go through in a top team.”
Following Hamilton’s departure from the Silver Arrows, George Russell – now in his fourth year racing for the team – has been joined by rookie Kimi Antonelli, with the pair enjoying a solid and consistent start to the campaign that has put the squad in P2 of the Teams’ Championship.
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When pushed on whether the atmosphere within the garage had become very different since the change in driver line-up, Wolff responded: “No, I wouldn’t say so. Lewis was part of the family. As a racing driver, he knew exactly what he wanted and the engineers and mechanics knew him.
“He knew them. We got along. You have good days, bad days, strengths and weaknesses. But when you know someone that well, it’s easy to manage that. Now the dynamic is different.
“George has massively stepped up as a senior driver in the team. Kimi is almost like the young brother that’s come in. They work well together, which is very pleasing to see.
“Kimi doesn’t stress too much, he’s just building up constantly. And on George, you can rely on him when it comes to lap times and racing, so spirits are high.”
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