Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes Formula 1, said that going into Lewis Hamilton‘s last season with the team, the team would treat both him and George Russell fairly.
Wolff said he is not concerned about perhaps having to stop Hamilton from receiving knowledge about upcoming developments, arguing that it is too soon to predict how that process may operate.
It seems sense that when the new F1 regulations take effect in 2026, Hamilton will be excluded from all talks.
Nevertheless, there will unavoidably be some overlap between the W15 development work done this year and the W16 design process next year, when Hamilton will be working for competitor Ferrari.
“I believe that as a team principal, and as all of us at Mercedes, what I’ve always tried to do is to be fair and transparent,” stated Wolff. And in that regard, nothing will alter in 2024.
“We will respect that and owe it to our principles and racing intent,” the statement reads. Additionally, I guarantee that the drivers will honor it.
“I believe this is something we should consider in light of future developments. The rules essentially remain unchanged. Regarding 2025, we will assess its technical implications later in the season, but that doesn’t disturb me in the slightest.
Sometimes the notice periods are as short as six months, and we lose engineers to other teams.
Therefore, I have complete faith in Lewis’ honesty when it comes to disclosing facts. In that regard, we all want to ensure that 2017 is a good season for Mercedes as well as for both drivers, and we will do all in our power to make that happen.
Wolff said he would like the additional task of managing the information flow to a driver who is departing the squad.
He described it as “definitely a new situation to manage, for team followers.” However, when you concentrate on the very near term—that is, the racing team that is being used to operate the product—it doesn’t really affect anything that is occurring on the development front moving ahead.
“We will openly discuss at the beginning how to manage the conflict between 2025 driver interests and Mercedes interests in 2024, and I’m always up for a challenge. Hopefully, we can reach a satisfactory resolution together.”
Wolff maintained that any consideration of Hamilton’s replacement in 2025 must take a backseat to the upcoming season.
“Right now, the 2024 season is our primary focus,” he stated. “We have two very capable drivers. George is excited to get back in the vehicle and perform, and Lewis is in his last year at Mercedes.
“We need to field a vehicle on the track that is faster than the one from last year, and we are aware of how tough it will be to contend not just with Red Bull but also with the other contenders.
“With all of the hype around Lewis, George hasn’t gotten enough attention. George may take over as the team’s top driver in the future.
He belongs to the same generation as Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, and a few others. When Lewis retires, I couldn’t ask for a [better] replacement team leader. Without a question.
“With such a strong base and a swift, skilled, and knowledgeable man in the car, we just need to make the right decision for the second driver and seat.”
