Wolff denies ever having had contact with Perez

Toto Wolff denies in conversation with Motorsport.com that he has considered bringing in Sergio Perez as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton. While rumours of interest circulated at the start of the season, Wolff says this is not true.

At the start of this racing year, Hamilton was clearly still struggling to come to terms with last season's defeat. Not only did the Briton remain silent in public for months on end, it was also debatable whether Hamilton wanted to continue at all. Behind the scenes, however, it soon became clear that the driver would be going into the new year.

In conversation with the medium, the Austrian team boss says he never spoke to Perez on the phone. Although he has a lot of respect for the Mexican, he says he still has faith in Hamilton's qualities.

With Mercedes continuing to improve their car, the German team is hopeful that Hamilton and George Russell will be able to compete for prizes again next season. The contract of the seven times world champion expires at the end of next season.