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Toto Wolff and Co. decided to ignore Lewis Hamilton’s suggestion about the W14’s problems and are still paying for it. As they say, whatever goes around comes back around. But this isn’t the only time Wolff ignored Hamilton’s advice. He also ignored it when the Briton gave the Mercedes TP advice about Valtteri Bottas’ future, which didn’t bode well with Hamilton. However, the Austrian Billionaire now has a renewed interest in Bottas’ future as revealed by the Finnish driver himself. What is this renewed interest?

The duo of Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff seems inseparable ever since the Briton dominated F1 in the late 2010s and won 6 titles with Mercedes. However, there’s always this odd debate between a TP and his driver. This duo is no different. However, one major crack point was when Toto Wolff replaced Valtteri Bottas with George Russell. This, despite Hamilton’s request to keep his wingman on the team. 

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However, the decision wasn’t easy as Toto Wolff was responsible for bringing Bottas up the ranks. He was also on his management team during the Williams years. However, the contract ended once Finn joined Mercedes, as there would’ve been conflicts of interest. Nevertheless, now that Valtteri Bottas has left Mercedes and is at Alfa Romeo, Toto Wolff seems to have joined his management team once again as suggested by the Finn himself. 

According to the F1: Beyond the Grid podcast, Valtteri Bottas said “He wasn’t my manager when I was at Mercedes, obviously, for different reasons–not getting a cut or anything, because that’s not how it works!” “But now he’s part of the management team.”

Wolff was still at Williams when he gave Valtteri Bottas the break. The Finn then drove in multiple practice sessions and the team announced him as the permanent driver the following year. Regardless, Wolff had to think about Mercedes’ future and signed the talented George Russell. He beat Lewis Hamilton in his first year on the team, something that Valtteri never managed to do. However, David Coulthard still trusts Hamilton to bounce back up.

David Coulthard expects Lewis Hamilton to show “George why he won seven World Championships.”

Lewis Hamilton had a tough couple of years—the 2021 title robbery, the undeliverable 2022 car with the porpoising and Angela Cullen leaving this year. David Coulthard suggests that Hamilton has a lot of baggage and problems to deal with right now. While not taking anything away from Russell, once the 38-year-old gets in a competitive car and finds his groove, he will show Russell why he’s a 7X champion.

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According to Express.co.uk, David Coulthard said “George is just sort of constantly there. This is the best car he’s ever driven. So he’s not caught up with the baggage of Lewis trying to figure it out, ‘Am I re-signing for another year?’ ‘Can I win another World Championship?’ So there’s a lot more on his plate.” 

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“George is doing a brilliant job, [he is an] absolute asset for the team. That’s not to say Lewis isn’t doing a brilliant job. It just means that the car isn’t talking to him right now and when it does, expect him to be showing George why he won seven World Championships.”

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Watch this Story | George Russell Dismisses Miami GP Introductory Shenanigans as a Distraction

What do you think about Toto Wolff joining Valtteri Bottas’ management team?

Written by

Pranay Bhagi

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Pranay Bhagi is an F1 writer at EssentiallySports, who has always been passionate about sports and writing. With a degree from a prestigious institute, he has channeled his enthusiasm into sports journalism, particularly F1, a sport that has captivated him for over a decade. Pranay's deep-rooted love for the sport began during the Sebastian Vettel era, and he has been following it religiously ever since.
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Edited by

Akash Pandhare