Toto Wolff has said that he “will cheer” for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari at any time his Mercedes Formula 1 team is not in the position to win a Grand Prix next season.
Hamilton bade an emotional farewell to the Silver Arrows at the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix a fortnight ago, bringing to a close an 11-year partnership that has yielded six of his seven World Championship triumphs.
The 39-year-old announced in February that he would be leaving the Brackley-based squad at the end of the year to join Ferrari, where he will be partnering Charles Leclerc, with Mercedes opting to select promising Formula 2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli as his replacement.
On the wind-down lap after the race, in which Hamilton finished fourth after a brilliant last-lap overtake on team-mate George Russell, emotions were understandably high, with Wolff telling him over radio: “You’re always going to be part of that family. And if we can’t win, you should win.”
After the race, Wolff expanded on this comment, telling select media including Motorsport Week: “Well you know we will be competitors and I said if we can’t win, we cheer for him [to get the] eighth championship.
“But obviously the team [Mercedes], the drivers, the brand, that is the main priority to win and we’re going to give it everything we have.”
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes era is finally at an end
Despite the excitement of moving to the Scuderia, Hamilton conveyed the emotions of his final days driving a Mercedes.
“I think just those moments, I mean every moment that I’ve got in the car this week I’ve known that it’s one of the last, and it’s been really hard to let go,” he said.
“So I think when I stopped the car I just wanted to embrace the moment, because it’s the last time I’m going to step into Mercedes and represent them, it’s been the greatest honour of my life.
“[They’ve] powered every race, every pole position, every win we’ve had together, every championship, so I think when I knelt next to it I think it was just giving thanks, to firstly thanking my own spirit for continuing to push, thanking everyone that powered and built that car, I’m proud of everyone.”
Hamilton has been made to wait for his Ferrari debut as he embarked on a Mercedes farewell tour.
The Briton brought an end to the most successful team/driver partnership in F1 history with visits to Petronas in Malaysia, Mercedes in Stuttgart and the F1 team’s UK headquarters in Brixworth and Brackley.
Closing on this chapter, Hamilton closed a commemorative Instagram post with three words: “It’s been real.”
READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton completes emotional Mercedes F1 farewell ahead of Ferrari move
