Toto Wolff Confesses Feeling ‘Divorced’ Amid Lewis Hamilton’s Iconic Ferrari Takeover

The moment we’ve all been waiting for in the F1 world has finally arrived. Seriously, that year-long wait felt like an eternity. Back in February 2024, Ferrari made it official—they signed Lewis Hamilton. Now, while Hamilton leaving Mercedes wasn’t the biggest shock, the fact that he’s headed to Ferrari definitely turned some heads. It’s a full-circle moment for Lewis, who’s now living out a dream his idol, Ayrton Senna, had: finishing his career with F1’s most iconic team.

Recently, Lewis took a trip to Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello and even got behind the wheel of their 2022 F1 car at Fiorano circuit. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. But then came the moment that really made everyone stop and stare: a picture of Hamilton in Ferrari’s red overalls. And that’s when it hit: a 7-time World Champion is now about to race for F1’s most legendary team. And it looks like Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had his own emotional reaction to the whole thing.

Toto Wolff opens up after seeing Hamilton in red

Hamilton and Ferrari probably did not want to leave fans in suspense anymore, So they dropped the photos of Hamilton in Ferrari colors. And it suits him! Seeing him in red, you almost forget about the black Mercedes one that he wore for 12 years for six championships and 84 Grand Prix wins in over 200 race starts. But one man who has definitely not forgotten it is Toto Wolff. It was also in 2013 when he took the reins of Team Mercedes.

Also, Wolff at the recent AutoSport Awards, was asked about Hamilton’s new outfit, to which he replied, “It’s a little bit like you divorce amicably and it’s all good and then you see your partner for the first time with a new friend. But I’m really happy for him. And I told him, those pictures were iconic that he made them so we’ll curated and no surprise with Louis.” 

| Toto Wolff on Sir Lewis Hamilton’s first “iconic” images with Ferrari :

“Yeah, it’s a little bit like you divorce amicably, and it’s all good, and then you see your partner for the first time with a new friend. But I’m really happy for him, and I told him that those pictures… pic.twitter.com/lu8yEUB7q6

— sim (@sim3744) January 30, 2025

As for Lewis Hamilton’s next chapter, he’ll kick off his 19th F1 season with Ferrari, donning red alongside Charles Leclerc as his teammate. The two are expected to be a strong duo, and that’s huge for Ferrari’s chances this year. But with Hamilton gone, where does that leave Mercedes? Enter Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who finished 6th in the 2024 Formula 2 season. Wolff seems optimistic about the new lineup.

“We’re super excited about the new situation,” Wolff said. “We’ve had an incredible 12 years with Lewis, and George [Russell] has been performing superbly the last few seasons.” He also had high praise for Kimi, calling him a “young lion” with a ton of potential. “Now he just needs to learn.” But let’s be real—filling Hamilton’s shoes is going to be a massive challenge. Fortunately, Kimi’s coming in during a season where a lot of teams are making big changes, so everyone will be adjusting.

Even Red Bull’s Christian Horner weighed in at the AutoSport Awards, sharing his thoughts on how the 2025 season might play out with all the shifts.

Christian Horner’s 2025 prediction

Horner has the same opinion as Wolff. At the Awards he spoke about how Hamilton in Ferrari is beneficial for the entire sport. He said,  “I’ve seen some pictures, I think it suits him! Look, I think it is great for Formula One. Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari… that really is box office. So I think it’s just another dynamic for this year that could be super exciting.” 

And Honer is right, this makes things really interesting in the 2025 season. After the kind of runs McLaren had with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, they won the constructors’ championship. So, they are a top team to beat. Max Verstappen, eyeing his fifth title, has been paired with youngster Liam Lawson. And lastly, Andrea Kimi Antonelli is joining George Russell in Mercedes. These dynamics are going to be the highlight of the season. With so many top-tier drivers and teams in the mix, it’s shaping up to be one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory.

Christian Horner on this said, “Look, I think it is going to be super tight. You’re going to have four teams that are going to be very competitive. So I think it’s going to be very tight, and take your pick… McLaren are going to be strong, Ferrari are going to be strong, Mercedes are going to have something to prove as well. So it could be a stellar year.”

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