Wolff denies Ferrari theory behind Hamilton F1 slump

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has asserted Lewis Hamilton’s struggling form in 2024 was not influenced by his pending exit from the squad.

Hamilton confirmed prior to the start of the campaign that he would depart Mercedes at the end of the year and link up with Ferrari.

The seven-time world champion scored two victories in his final campaign but it was a largely trouble-filled campaign for him as he was consistently out-paced by team-mate George Russell.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Wolff detailed Hamilton’s driving style is not suited to the current generation of cars, signalling he is too professional to be swayed by his Ferrari call.

“This generation of car doesn’t suit Lewis,” Wolff said. 

“He brakes late and turns the car aggressively into the corners. The car and the tyres sometimes don’t forgive that. 

“This is more noticeable in qualifying than in the race. There may have been other influencing factors as well. I don’t think his head was in his new team yet. 

“Lewis is too professional for that.”

Earlier in the season, Wolff alluded to “cognitive sharpness” in F1 when discussing Mercedes’ driver line-up, later clarifying the comment was taken out of context.

Wolff has now stated he expects Hamilton to maintain the ability to perform at a high level for years to come.

“That [cognitive decline] affects us all. But I believe that a top athlete like Lewis, who is fully focused on one thing, can put it off for a long time.

“You can see it best in Fernando [Alonso]. With all his experience, he still drives a fast car. It’s similar with Lewis.”