Wolff predicts ‘new era’ for Mercedes once F1 ‘icon’ Hamilton leaves

Mercedes’ CEO and Team Principal Toto Wolff has said that he is hopeful of further success for his team once star driver Lewis Hamilton departs for Ferrari.

The Austrian has had six months to prepare for the seven-times’ champion’s exit to the Scuderia, with a number of drivers linked to the coveted silver arrows seat to partner George Russell from 2025, but Wolff is aware that replacing a driver of Hamilton’s calibre – both as a driver and as a public figure – will always be difficult.

“Lewis is not just a driver, he’s an icon – on multiple levels,” Wolff told formula.hu.

“It’s clear for us that Mercedes’ F1 team and the sport gets more media coverage just because of Lewis.”

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Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 after six seasons with McLaren, the team that signed him as a youngster to its Driver Development Programme.

With Mercedes, Hamilton became the first World Champion of the V6 hybrid era in 2014, amid an infamous inter-team rivalry with Nico Rosberg, which would last until the German’s retirement in 2016.

Hamilton would go on to win a further five titles over the following six seasons, tying with Michael Schumacher – the man he replaced at Mercedes – with the most F1 titles won by a driver, helping him become one of the most marketable and recognisable sportsmen in the world.

Hamilton’s bid for a record-breaking eighth title was scuppered in controversial circumstances at the final round in Abu Dhabi in 2021, ultimately losing-out to Max Verstappen, with whom he created a notorious rivalry.

After a difficult 2022 and 23, Hamilton went over two years without an F1 win, before taking an emotional victory at Silverstone last month.

This was followed by the inheritance of P1 in Belgium, after team-mate Russell initially took the win, only to be disqualified.

Wolff also alluded to the post-Hamilton era being a fresh start for the team, saying: “A new era will start for Mercedes. I don’t know yet, who will be the next era’s important drivers, and I also can’t tell, whether we will as successful as we hope to be.”

Numerous drivers have been linked to the role since Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari was announced in February, but a report in Italian publication Autosprint points toward rising Formula 2 Kimi Antonelli star being signed to take the drive.

After taking the Formula Regional European Championship with 300 points last year, the young Italian currently sits in 7th in the F2 Drivers’ standings – 53 points clear of F1-bound team-mate Oliver Bearman – taking wins in the Silverstone Sprint and Hungaroring Feature respectively.