Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has urged Formula 1 fans to give Lewis Hamilton a break, after the Briton admitted “partying hard” led to him crashing in Monaco earlier this week.
Wolff said it was Hamilton’s choice as to what he gets up to outside of work and as long as it doesn’t impact his racing, then the “situation is perfectly good” for Mercedes.
“My main view is give the boy a break,” Wolff told The Sun. “He is the world champion. He has won races. It has been one of the most dominate seasons we have ever seen. He has done it all. Let him enjoy it.
“For me and the team, one thing is fundamental; that the drivers deliver the results. So long as they score the results and continue to drive then the situation is perfectly good for us.”
The Austrian doesn’t believe Hamilton would take the same approach had he still been fighting for the championship, adding that it’s only right they give him space to celebrate his third title.
“Lewis won the world championship two weeks ago, his second in a row and his third, he has had a dominant season. At the moment, he is the best driver in the paddock. He is not just the best driver because of his talent but because he knows what is good for him and what isn’t.
“Sometimes you have to stretch the limit and probably now we are at the point where he will recalibrate in some way. But it is perfectly reasonable that we give him that space, and even more if you consider he has just become the world champion.
“If the title was not already decided, he would not be out there at three in the morning if it was a different situation in the championship.”
