Wolff helping Hamilton ‘unlock’ business acumen beyond F1

Lewis Hamilton says his relationship with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has grown into a strong friendship over the years, one that has helped the Briton grow his business insight outside of F1.

Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 at the same time as Wolff who took the helm of the Brackley squad and steered it towards a period of unwavering success.

From 2014 to 2021, Mercedes captured a record eight Constructors’ titles while Hamilton claimed six Drivers’ championships.

Earlier this year, Hamilton agreed an extension to his contract to drive for Mercedes which will keep him with the team until at least the end of 2025.

Beyond his sporting triumphs, Hamilton has ventured into various endeavors and made strides in sustainability initiatives, fashion, music, and charitable work such as his Mission 44 project that supports bold organisations, leaders and ideas to reimagine the future and empower young people from underserved communities.

• Read also: FIA to take second look at Hamilton's Qatar 'track walk'

Over the years, Wolff's mentorship and the pair’s shared commitment to excellence have not only elevated Hamilton's career but also opened doors to a world of entrepreneurship and social impact beyond Formula 1.

“Toto and I are in contact every week, all the time,” said Hamilton in Qatar recently.

“We’re good friends, very, very good friends, we’re team mates. We do a lot of talking about cars, we hang when we’re back, when I’m back home we have lunch and we talk a lot.

“I’m always trying to learn from Toto as a businessman and he’s always massively supportive.

“I think you’ve already seen my progress, he’s been such a huge part of that, being open-minded, allowing me to be who I am,” added the 38-year-old racer.

“Together we’ve unlocked so much, we’ve done so much more than I think any other partnership that you’ve seen in this sport on many levels.”

Wolff, the primary driving force of the Mercedes team, has been absent from his command post inside the outfit’s garage for the last two races.

The Austrian has been at home, nursing a knee back to health after undergoing surgery.

But the 51-year-old captain of the Merecdes ship hasn’t missed a single episode of the action, thanks to his remote set-up that has allowed him to work on race weekends from the confines of his office in Monte Carlo.

“Toto’s in every meeting,” said Hamilton. “And he’s on the comms, just like the guys back at the factory are on the comms for strategy over the weekend.

“He’s still 100 per cent fully a part (of the team). He’s just not physically there in the country.

“He’s worked incredibly hard to set up this team to be where it is today, and he should be able to have weekends off without a problem. He’s the boss.

“Shoot, if I owned the team, I’d definitely take weekends off. That’s your prerogative. It’s not that he’s taking the weekend off but you know what I mean.

“He has the right to if he wanted to, but it’s just because he’s recovering.

“I just always tell him, ‘Don’t worry, you’ve set up a great team, and we’ll try and do you proud this weekend’, and that’s what I do.”

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