Wolff: Hamilton focused on Mercedes, not on Ferrari rise

Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton isn’t “looking over the fence” at greener pastures at Ferrari, his future team, insisting the Briton remains committed to helping Mercedes navigate its current struggles.

Ferrari’s early season form points to a team that appears to have ironed out its past gremlins and positioned itself as Red Bull’s main competitor.

After Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz scored a podium each in Bahrain and in Jeddah, the Spaniard led his teammate to a dominant 1-2 in Melbourne last time out.

Meanwhile, Mercedes’ best result year-to-date was delivered by George Russell in the opening round at Sakhir where he finished fifth, while the Brackley squad suffered a double DNF in Australia, its first since Austria in 2018.

The team’s W15 – while an improvement on its ground-effect predecessors – remains a difficult and inconsistent proposition for its drivers.

The German outfit therefore has work to do to elevate its performance and challenge once again for race wins in F1.

• Read also: Mercedes confident in W15 reliability despite Hamilton engine issue

But despite Hamilton’s upcoming move to Ferrari in 2025, Wolff is adamant that the seven-time world champion is “as good as you can be” and isn't distracted by his future employer's newfound success.

"I think the drivers are super in this whole setup because Lewis is as good as you can be," said Wolff.

"He's in a situation obviously where, on one side, it's super frustrating to see that we are not getting it. On the other side, look over the fence. It's pretty good what's happening there. But that is not his main priority today.

"George is just a fighter and he's sticking in, and he knows that's his place. So, we've got to sort this out."

Despite his team’s plight, Wolff emphasized his commitment to improvement, suggesting a proactive approach to identifying and addressing weaknesses.
"You always need to look at us like I need to look at myself. What is it? Why is it that we can't get there?

"We're humans. The data doesn't take decisions. Humans do. So, we're not stopping. I'm not sitting here and dwelling. But on the contrary, I'm thinking of what else is it that we need to do and how can we push.”

Highlighting the cultural difference between his Austrian directness and the more reserved British approach to criticism, Wolff said that adapting his communication style was crucial for maintaining a positive and productive team dynamic in difficult times.

“As an Austrian, we very much wear our heart on our sleeve, and we see things very direct,” explained the Mercedes F1 boss.

“An Austrian says, 'That's really shit'. A British person would say, 'That's interesting'.

"So, I had to adapt the way I communicate in order to not create even more pressure in the team because it would break us.

"It's not because of a lack of trying that we are not competitive. So, I'd rather be helpful and encouraging and say, 'That's interesting'."

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