Hamilton 'Would Regret' Leaving Mercedes After Potential Eighth World Championship

F1
Thursday, 29 February 2024 at 23:00
hamilton lewis mercedes latimages16

Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes after the 2024 season, and there's something that may make him regret the decision according to Toto Wolff.

As the team principal of the German team, Wolff was certainly shocked when he first heard the news from the British driver, as it wasn't something the expected, given how long their professional, and personal, relationship lasted.

Hamilton signed with Ferrari, but he would drive for the team only from 2025, making their split somewhat weird, as he'll still race for Silver Arrows in 2024.

Ahead of the new season, Wolff sat down with SkySports to discuss the unexpected move, confirming how exactly he learned about the news. According to the 52-year-old, the two sat down for a coffee when Hamilton announced that he would be leaving to Ferrari.

"He came to my house, we had a coffee, and he said 'I'm going to drive for Ferrari next year' and it was a surprise, because at that time of the season, I wouldn't have expected it."

There's still one last chapter that the two are going to write together, precisely 12th chapter that Hamilton writes with Mercedes. And in relation to that, there's one big question mark how will the 2024 F1 season end.

According to Wolff, who previously said that he wishes Hamilton to win his eighth World Championship, if the 39-year-old managed to do that in Mercedes, he could possibly regret his decision to leave, as that would suggest he was in the fastest team in 2024.

"It would be great because, first of all, he deserves to win an eighth title. If that would be in a Mercedes, it would close the painful chapter from the past and I think he would regret that he's leaving the team because the Mercedes was the fastest car."