Toto Wolff claims the old Lewis Hamilton has GONE from Mercedes

Toto Wolff

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Wolff claims the old Hamilton has GONE from Mercedes

The Mercedes team principal reveals how Hamilton deals with no longer being best on the grid

Michael Clarke

Thursday 24 August 2023 06:57

Toto Wolff has admitted that he is now working with 'Hamilton 2.0,' a driver who is dealing with a prolonged period of not being the best in the world.

The Mercedes team principal sees a shift in the seven-time world champion who has lost the role of being the dominant driver in the sport to Red Bull Racing rival Max Verstappen.

“He’s been great,” Wolff said, discussing Hamilton's ability to adapt in an interview with Boardroom

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“He’s been super supportive when the team needed it, and that dynamic goes in both directions."

Wolff and Hamilton have won eight Constructors' Championships together

After winning consecutive constructors’ championships for eight years in a row between 2014-2021, Mercedes have had to concede the outright command of the sport to Red Bull Racing, who have won every race of the 2023 season so far.

“When he’s not great mentally about how the car is going, we try to support him, and when you can see when the engineers didn’t know what to do next on the track on race weekend, it’s he who cheered everybody up and brought the right attitude as a driver.”

Hamilton's contract headache

Hamilton and Mercedes have been locked in a year-long contract negotiation to renew the driver’s seat with the team beyond the end of the 2023 season.

As the teams enter the second part of the season beginning with the Dutch GP, Wolff believes that his strong partnership with Hamilton can weather this period without winning at Mercedes.

“Whether it was a great run or more difficult like now, it’s a partnership that goes beyond the racing side because we are in the same boat. He always says we win and we lose together,” Wolff added.