Lewis Hamilton's boss Toto Wolff: Talent will come to Mercedes if we provide the car

Mercedes

Wolff: Talent will come to Mercedes if we provide the car

He has no concerns about a potential lack of 'top' drivers when Lewis Hamilton retires

Martin Macdonald

Saturday 7 March 2020 10:43

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff insists that top drivers in Formula 1 will still be eager to driver for the Silver Arrows in the future as long as they continue to provide the best car.

At 35-years-old, it is safe to say that Lewis Hamilton is in the twilight of his career, while Valtteri Bottas is now 30-years-old, meaning the team need to have one eye on the future to attract the next generation of stars.

Two of these stars, probably the biggest two, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, recently signed long-term deals with Red Bull and Ferrari. Although they could sign for Mercedes after their current contracts expire, they remain connected with their respective teams for the moment.

Article continues under video

However, with the likes of George Russell and Esteban Ocon currently on the grid, both of whom have connections to Mercedes, Wolff isn’t concerned about his next driving line up.

F1 drivers convince FIA to allow 'unrestricted' helmet design changesRead more

"Well, I think we have very exciting young drivers that are part of the Mercedes family, like George Russell, who is a Mercedes junior driver, who I foresee a bright future [for]," the Austrian told Autosport.

"Then we have Esteban who is not too far away, who is with Renault today, but he's a cousin of the Mercedes family today.

"And looking at Max and Charles, these guys will always strive to be in the fastest cars, and contracts are contracts, probably sometimes the detail is what is important and not the overhead line on how long a contract has been signed [for].

"And therefore, I see our duty in providing and producing the car that is the quickest, and then we will not run out of talent that will be keen and eager to drive these cars."

Hamilton’s current contract runs out at the conclusion of the 2020 F1 season.