Former F1 driver accuses Toto Wolff of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari leak

F1 News & Gossip

Former F1 driver blames Wolff for Hamilton leak

The seven-time world champion will make the sensational switch to Maranello next season

Tyler Rowlinson

Wednesday 28 February 2024 18:48

Former F1 driver Ivan Capelli has accused Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff of leaking the news that Lewis Hamilton was joining Ferrari.

The sensational transfer of the seven-time world champion to Maranello for the 2025 season on a multi-year contract sent shockwaves across the globe and put the world of F1 into chaos.

With Hamilton moving to the Italian team alongside Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz is left without a seat for next season, with team principal Frederic Vasseur describing the phone calls to the Spaniard and Wolff about the move as ‘one of the most difficult calls’ of his life.

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The transfer not only affects Sainz, but it has also blown open the driver market for 2025, with 13 drivers out of contract at the end of the year, setting up a potentially exciting driver lineup for next season.

Lewis Hamilton will join Ferrari in 2025

The move puts Carlos Sainz out of a drive and has sent the driver market into chaos

Former driver Ivan Capelli has accused Toto Wolff of leaking the news

Capelli blames Wolff for Hamilton to Ferrari leak

Many fans and pundits alike wondered why the transfer was announced at the time, especially a year before the move is due to happen, but Vasseur stated at the launch of the SF-24 that they wanted to announce the transfer then so that there were “no distractions” for the team.

Mercedes chief Wolff said that he was surprised by the timing of the news, but former Ferrari driver Capelli, who raced with Ferrari with F1 in 1992, has accused the Austrian of leaking the news.

In an interview with La Gazzetta Dello Sport, as reported by Formula Passion, Capelli claimed that Wolff started the leak that led to the announcement of Hamilton joining Ferrari, an agreement that certainly would have been revealed at a later time than it actually was.

“It was a trip by Toto Wolff to Hamilton and Ferrari,” he said.

“It burned an announcement to be made during the current season”.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Charles Leclerc Toto Wolff Carlos Sainz