Toto Wolff cheekily hits out at Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari: “Red doesn’t suit him. He’ll see our rear wing”. Toto Wolff has revealed some behind-the-scenes of the separation from Lewis Hamilton, who will join Ferrari .

During a long and intriguing interview with Fox News Australia, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff spoke about the painful separation from Lewis Hamilton, recounting to viewers how the driver informed him of the decision to move to Ferrari.

“I believe it was difficult for him to tell me. Normally, during the winter break, we don’t talk much. When he came back, he asked if we could grab a coffee. He came to me for coffee, as we do at the start of every season, and he said, ‘I’m going to Ferrari,'” Toto Wolff recounted, recalling those moments of incredulity.

The Mercedes manager then continued: “I said to him, ‘Really?’. I knew he had a short-term contract, but I was surprised by the timing being so early in the season. ‘Why now?’ I asked him. He replied that he wanted to lift this burden off himself. After five minutes of shock and disbelief, I thought, ‘Okay, what do we do to announce it? When?’ and he said, ‘Well, I think the news is already leaking.’ So, we didn’t have many options.” – the Austrian motorsport executive pointed out.

Toto Wolff jabs at Lewis Hamilton
Toto Wolff then emphasized that he wasn’t disappointed by Lewis Hamilton, explaining that he understood the decision to take a different path, but he still threw in a few playful jabs – with a smile – at the English champion: “I hope we beat him on the track. First of all, I can’t imagine him in red. I don’t think it suits him, but I think the image is interesting,” and he concluded, with another subtle dig: “Then I told him, ‘You better take a good look at our rear wing, because that will be the view you’ll have’.” – Toto Wolff joked.