If you think that Toto Wolff was unhappy about listening to the news about Lewis Hamilton leaving the team, you were right. The way Ferrari snatched Mercedes star driver shocked the world and Frederic Vasseur sure knew how to strike a deal.
The stable of the prancing horses approached Hamilton with an offer that he could not decline. After being denied his requests at Mercedes, the 7-time world champion was met with a $500 million investment and a chance to race in Red. But this did not sit well with Wolff, who has been reported to have hindered Ferrari’s plans of making the announcement.
Toto Wolff’s early reveal of the Lewis Hamilton switch
Ferrari made a significant move by signing Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season. This decision had immediate repercussions on both Carlos Sainz, who will be forced to leave the team, and Toto Wolff, who manages Hamilton’s career. The team had planned to reveal the news right before the season started to avoid chaos in the community. As reported by FormulaPassion, at the presentation of the SF-24, Vasseur broke the silence on the transfer and said, “The phone calls to Toto Wolff and Carlos Sainz were among the most difficult of my life .”
The Ferrari team principal explained, “We decided to announce the operation before the start of the season so as not to have any distractions.” But as they say, life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans, and the news gets out. But according to Ivan Capelli, it was Toto Wolff behind the news being rushed. And it was so rushed that even Ferrari’s sporting director was surprised by the timing.
Recently former F1 driver Ivan Capelli was interviewed by La Gazzetta dello Sport La Gazzetta dello Sport where he explained why he believes Toto Wolff started a leak that broke the news of Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari. According to FormulaPassion, Capelli stated, “It was a trip by Toto Wolff to Hamilton and Ferrari. It burned an announcement to be made during the current season.”
Whether it was the Mercedes principal pushing his driver to announce the news or just paddock talk that caught up, but it’s out in the open now, and the world’s biggest transfer is about to happen.
How does this move impact Ferrari?
Ferrari made a significant move by signing Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season. This decision had immediate repercussions on both Carlos Sainz, who will be forced to leave the team, and Toto Wolff, who manages Hamilton’s career. Ferrari has offered the Briton half a billion dollars in salary and sponsorship as a brand ambassador and this has benefitted the parent company to secure a legendary driver for their image.
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari’s team principal is at the center of it, with him bringing in the 7-time world champion into the team for his final few years. Although the contract with Hamilton is only for 2 years, there is a chance he might extend it. Considering that Lewis Hamilton is approaching his 40s, the word ‘retirement’ is being thrown around a lot. But what the world would like to see is him winning another World Championship.
That being said, do you think that the Prancing Horses stable will be the fastest in 2025? Will this move be what Hamilton needs to break the record of the most world championship titles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
