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Lewis Hamilton to Toto Wolff: “I Don’t Want to See This [Mercedes] Car Again”

Published 02/26/2024, 5:06 AM EST

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via Imago

The release of the latest season of Drive to Survive has made it quite evident why Lewis Hamilton decided to leave Mercedes. Intentional or not, but Lewis Hamilton does not look happy throughout the series. Couldn’t blame him though considering he had no wins all year.

While his contract negotiations with Toto Wolff didn’t go according to plan, there was a lot more that was exposed in the docuseries. But that was not the reason why he didn’t find himself on the right step of the podium constantly last year. And it had a lot to do with the W14.

The W14: Lewis Hamilton’s worst nightmare

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Prepping up for the last race of the season, Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff were having a word before the race as documented in Drive to Survive‘s last episode of season 6. The Team Principal tells Hamilton, “Still not in a good place, the car.” To this, the 7 times world champion replied, “I’ll see what I can do with it.” Affirming his driver, Wolff said, “I’m sure you can do something with it.”

via Imago

To this, the 39-year-old driver said,I don’t want to see this car again after today.” Wolff’s response was, “It’s the last one. Last one. Let’s do the best out of the last 90 minutes of the season.” Agreeing to give it his all, Hamilton said, “Yep. I’ll give it everything.” As he finished 9th, Lewis Hamilton must have been happy knowing that it was over and that he was in the points to maintain the lead from Ferrari.

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It was lucky for the team that George Russell could manage to drive the car well enough to get the final stop on the podium and save the team from finishing P3. This all didn’t sit well for Lewis Hamilton as he was not enjoying his time with the team. The bad experiences along with not being paid as much as the Briton needs, became two reasons he left Mercedes for Ferrari.

Loyalty to Mercedes vs New Opportunity with Ferrari

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After seeing how Mercedes is currently doing, Lewis Hamilton knew that he needed a change. Being in Mercedes for over a decade had made him feel like he wasn’t moving forward while the team was taking steps backward. The Silver Arrows were at its prime when Hamilton won 6 back to back world championships, but now, it looks like the magic is gone. It’s either Red Bull’s car being too good, or Mercedes not progressing after its glory years. Either way, the Briton driver is curious to see what the Legendary Ferrari stables have to offer.

via Reuters

While Ferrari is offering a great amount of money to Hamilton, he is more interested in the car that they will provide him. The team has constantly made strides with their machines and after the 2023 performance, Hamilton will see how 2024 plays out. Once the season is over, Carlos Sainz will be out and the Billion Dollar Man will jump in. The constantly improving car of Ferrari might be in a position by 2025 to challenge Red Bull and Max Verstappen.

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Do you think the move to Ferrari will be that Lewis Hamilton has needed to get back into winning races? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by:

Viren Mirpuri

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Viren Mirpuri is an F1 Writer at EssentiallySports. With a Degree in Mass Media and a Specialization in Journalism, Viren is known for his speedy race day coverage outside of discussing the engine technicalities. Whether he's dissecting the latest technical innovations or unraveling the drama on and off the track, he ensures that his readers stay engaged and informed.
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Edited by:

Akash Pandhare