Toto Wolff gives blunt response to Lewis Hamilton's historic Ferrari win

Lewis Hamilton

Toto Wolff gives blunt response to Lewis Hamilton's historic Ferrari win

Toto Wolff reacted to Lewis Hamilton's race win

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 16 June 2026 11:57

Usually, when you're full of praise for someone, it's hard to stop the words tumbling out. Well, the opposite was the case for Toto Wolff after Lewis Hamilton's race win at the Barcelona Grand Prix.

While Hamilton struggled during his maiden season at Ferrari, Wolff remained his biggest cheerleader and urged doubters to not count out the seven-time champion.

And the Mercedes team principal was proven correct when Hamilton claimed his first podium in China, followed by two consecutive second place finishes in Montreal and Monaco.

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Finally, Hamilton could celebrate his first race win with with Ferrari at the Barcelona, but in doing so, he beat his former boss' drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, leading to a rather curt congratulation from Wolff.

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Wolff happy for Hamilton, but plagued by Mercedes concerns

Hamilton's victory in Barcelona has ignited the 2026 title fight, slicing the gap to Kimi Antonelli to 41 points and sitting nine ahead of George Russell.

But for Wolff, the Barcelona Grand Prix was another low point for his team with only one car finishing after Antonelli's retirement.

Speaking on Mercedes' performance, Wolff said: "We just can't compete for a championship if every second race a car is losing fat points. It's one and then the other and to finish first, first you have to finish. That's just not good enough."

So, when Wolff was approached by Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz post-race, you can understand why he wasn't keen to wax lyrical about his rival for the length of the interview.

When asked about Hamilton's win Wolff was gracious, but ultimately concise in his words and instead preoccupied with the position his team are now in.

“I’m happy for him, he’s waited a long time and he’s worked very hard to get back on the top step of the podium and today he’s deserved it," he said.

Wolff's humour later returned when he attributed Hamilton's newfound success to his romance with Kim Kardashian.

He added: "I saw him on the podium, on the telly. That face shows me that he's very happy. Maybe the girlfriend helps!"

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Toto Wolff