Wolff: "I give Hamilton freedom, as long as he delivers"

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes have a close working relationship after winning the world title eight years in a row among the constructors. The Austrian tells in conversation with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf about the bond between driver and team boss.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton can only count on praise from his team boss despite a poor start to the 2022 F1 season. The new car is not doing well either, but according to Wolff, Hamilton is far from finished in Formula One. The collaboration between the two began in 2013 and Wolff admires the driver because he still wants to learn every day. Wolff: "Along with Ayrton Senna, he is the greatest personality Formula 1 has ever known."

Although it sometimes seems that Hamilton does not have his focus fully on F1, according to Wolff that cannot be pointed to as a reason why the Briton underperformed in Saudi Arabia. Indeed, Wolff recalls some examples: "In Japan, he once said on Sunday that he had hardly slept and had been making music all night. That day he crushed the competition."

Wolff has a similar story about the 2018 Singapore GP. Hamilton had been to fashion shows in Shanghai and Los Angeles and to a friend's wedding in England just days before the race. That Saturday, he drove the best qualifying lap Wolff had ever seen from him. Wolff: "That's the pact I made with him. I give him freedom as long as he delivers."