Wolff concedes “nothing is secure” but hopes Hamilton does not quit F1

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was unable to confirm whether Lewis Hamilton will stay in Formula 1 next season but is hopeful he will continue.

After winning his 93rd race at Imola, Hamilton then caused a stir when he said afterwards there is no guarantee he will continue racing as he “can understand wanting to pull back a little bit” and he has “a lot that excites” him outside the sport.

Wolff and Hamilton are yet to sign new contracts but the team principal has confirmed he plans to move into a less hands-on role and a change in the pair’s “symbiotic” partnership could be key to the reigning champion’s decision.

Wolff said: “I completely relate to his feeling, that you question yourself, that you think about all the other things that matter. When you switch on the news in the morning and off in the evening it’s all about the struggles that we all face.

“We are here in our little happy place and we try to bring some entertainment into households. But then you’re thinking in the more difficult reality the next day and all of that is something that affects us in that respect.

“I think nothing is ever secure. Like Niki Lauda in the 1970s, you could wake up on a Friday or Saturday morning at the track and say ‘I’m just not having fun anymore’ and I think that can happen to anybody.”

In 2016, after winning the world title, Nico Rosberg made a shock decision to retire, leading Wolff to declare that it is “important where our heart is and mindset is for next year".

Even though he has had his drive at Williams confirmed, it is likely George Russell would likely be the man to replace Hamilton if he did make a shock decision to retire.

Wolff conceded it would create chaos in terms of driver decisions for 2021. He added: “If he were to decide to step out of Formula One, which I don’t think is going to happen and I hope is not going to happen, I think we are going to have a pretty frantic driver market out there.

“There will be a moment when the drivers’ championship is decided to sit down [to discuss the future] - and we have a few months before the first race happens in Australia.”

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