- Toto Wolff has dismissed claims that Mercedes is no longer concerned about Lewis Hamilton
- Wolff says that the team remains totally committed to Hamilton
- There are claims that Silver Arrows are courting Charles Leclerc
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has dismissed claims that Mercedes is no longer concerned about Lewis Hamilton amid rumours that Silver Arrows are courting Ferrari’s, Charles Leclerc.
Wolff says that the team remains totally committed to Hamilton as he goes out for his eighth victory. Hamilton’s 2022 season and 2023 season so far are dimming his F1 career.
His W13 car in 2022 and the W14 for the current season haven’t done him any favour hampering his push for an eighth world championship title.
In addition, his contract with Mercedes is set to end in 2023 sparking talk of his interest in racing for Ferrari in his golden years of Formula One.
However, it allows him to compete for an additional championship with another F1 team.
Lewis Hamilton and Angela Cullen. Photo/The SportsRush
Ahead of last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari driver, Leclerc did not rule out a move to Mercedes as a replacement for Hamilton.
He held talks with Mercedes but not much of it is in the public domain yet. In light of this, Wolff said Mercedes is committed to Hamilton as Leclerc is committed to Monegasque.
“’I think [Leclerc is] 100 per cent committed and loyal to Ferrari and it’s his contract and in the same way, we are 100 per cent committed to putting pen to paper with Lewis,’ Wolff told Formula One.com.
In a twist of sport, Wolff denied holding any talks with Leclerc yet on the deal.
“The only time I talked to him was to ask where the gate is in Melbourne to board the plane. No contact otherwise,” Wolff remarked adding “Charles is a super guy, and for the long-term future someone you need to always have on your radar and that’s clear. But not for the short or medium-term.”
As Wolff went to the defensive, Hamilton stirred speculation after he was seen conversing with Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur in the pit lane, in Baku.
Hamilton, in the past, said that it would be a dream come true to compete for Ferrari.
Recently though, he has openly reaffirmed his intention to end his career with Mercedes which he joined in 2013 and won F1 titles in a row.
Charles Leclerc. Photo/Eurosport
Both Hamilton and Ferrari are facing similar problems in F1 thanks to flawed engineering designs in their respective cars.
The aftermath is poor performance, for both teams barely making an impressive podium finish in 2023’s races so far.
Leclerc is dissatisfied with how Ferrari is handling it all while Hamilton feels Mercedes has let him down since the 2022 season.
These engineering problems are favouring Red Bull which has won all the races of 2023.
Discussions about next year will probably revolve around Mercedes’ capacity to give Hamilton a car that can challenge Red Bull’s dominance.
Also, one that will enable Hamilton to contend for a historic eighth world championship which many people say is his holding glue to F1.
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