Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has hit out at conspiracy theorist “idiots” posting on social media about the team deliberately sabotaging Lewis Hamilton.
As is well documented, Hamilton will depart Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of this year – with just one race left in their successful relationship.
The year has been a rollercoaster for Hamilton, from the highs of winning at Silverstone to his dismal run in Qatar last weekend, where he was consistently off the pace.
This reignited talk from a select group on social media who conspired to think Mercedes would deliberately make Hamilton’s car slower than team-mate George Russell’s.
“I’ve never read the comments,” Wolff told media including Motorsport Week in Qatar post-race.
“I just hear that nonsense appears and now we can talk at length about the toxic environment of social media that I’ve always said, you have yourself behind the screen, you open up an account and then you put these comments.
“I wonder who would even have the time to comment?
“We love our fans. They contribute to what we are and the other ones who believe that they need to create some crazy, made-up conspiracies it doesn’t even bother me.
“They’re just idiots.”
Wolff tells conspiracy theorists: ‘Nobody’s reading what you write’
The notion of social media fans conjuring up theories that Mercedes is deliberately hampering Hamilton isn’t a new phenomenon.
This harks back to June and the Spanish Grand Prix when an anonymous email was sent around the F1 paddock claiming Hamilton was being sabotaged.
Mercedes reacted furiously to the allegations, pledging to involve the police to find the culprit.
Ironically, Hamilton ended the Spanish GP weekend by stepping onto the podium which gives credence to Wolff’s comments in Qatar.
These continued with the Austrian saying conspiracy theorists “have no understanding, [have] probably never put their foot in a racing car, even a normal car
“So my message to the ones that feel to give us the comments: ‘nobody’s reading what you write’.
“You’re hiding behind your screen somewhere over the mountains and you feel you want to make a comment you’re writing it for yourself anyway and for the few other lunatics that want to engage with you.”
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton focus on the positives as relationship draws to its end
Conspiracies aside, Hamilton’s overall pace compared to his team-mate in 2024 hasn’t been good.
In qualifying, the all-time record polesitter has been outmatched by 18-5 for Grands Prix and 5-1 for Sprints.
Moreover, Qatar was a bleak affair for Lewis and after suffering a lack of pace, a puncture and a drive-through penalty, he had to be convinced by Race Engineer Peter Bonnington not to quit the GP early.
Still, Wolff is choosing to look on the brighter side of things, reflecting on Hamilton and Mercedes’ many successes.
“We have this amazing partnership that has gone on for 20 years,” he said.
“We’ve won eight Constructors’ Championships and six Drivers’ [titles] with him, and I don’t know how many races he won. 80-something.
“So that’s the overarching feeling and I think when I speak to Lewis, that’s something which we are holding dearly.
“Now, these last races, maybe in the whole season, in the last week, was clearly not what we expect.
“We have one more to go. We will continue to give it our upmost, and we will celebrate the partnership, the relationship that we had, and those few races will be forgotten quickly.
“As much as it hurts at the moment.”
READ MORE – Toto Wolff denies Lewis Hamilton F1 qualifying woes down to loss in speed
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