- Wolff ‘saw’ three Mercedes drivers as he checked Chinese F1 results.
- He still considers Lewis Hamilton his driver despite his switch to Ferrari.
- Wolff admitted he felt emotional seeing ‘his’ Mercedes family on the podium.
Toto Wolff appeared to be really proud of ex-Mercedes and now-Scuderia Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, alongside his own two drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, as they qualified in the top three for the Chinese Grand Prix.
Hamilton made his Mercedes debut in 2013 and stayed there for 12 seasons, winning seven World Championship titles. In 2021, he was in a very tense title fight for his eighth with Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who was fighting for his first. Going into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, they were level on points, but the last lap after a safety car restart saw Verstappen snatch away Hamilton’s title.
Following the title loss, Hamilton stayed with Mercedes for three years before ultimately deciding to switch to the Italian team for 2025. At the Silver Arrows, he was replaced by the now 19-year-old driver, Kimi Antonelli.
Wolff once revealed that he was alerted by Carlos Sainz Sr. about the potential driver shake-up at Ferrari two weeks before Hamilton came up to him and broke the news about joining the Italian team.
Hamilton is still very dear to Wolff
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team recently took to social media to share a wholesome video of Wolff checking out the Chinese qualifying results. He went on to check the results board in the garage, which showed the starting line-up for the grand prix as Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton.
As there were no teams mentioned on the board, Wolff initially thought for a moment that three of his drivers were starting from the first three positions in the final race. He smiled before mentioning that he had to get used to seeing one of his former drivers in red. As he stepped outside to address the Sky Sports reporters, Wolff proudly said, referring to Hamilton, that he is still “our driver.”
A Mercedes family podium at the Chinese Grand Prix
Spectators definitely got to witness one of the most amazing moments in F1, as Mercedes’ current drivers, Antonelli and Russell, stood together on the podium with former driver, Hamilton.
It was a significant moment for Hamilton, given that he received his first podium with Scuderia Ferrari, one season after joining the team.
Additionally, it also marked one of the biggest achievements in Antonelli’s career, who earlier became the youngest pole sitter and then won the Grand Prix, becoming the second-youngest driver to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Wolff spoke about the emotional moment of seeing three generations of Mercedes drivers standing on the podium.
He said, “The three of them, with Bono right in the middle, where he’s been with Lewis forever, and then basically taking over Kimi and making Kimi what he is today. I mean, to be honest, rarely that I’m overwhelmed, but that is such a moment.”
With the Chinese Grand Prix ending on such a high note for Mercedes and Ferrari, it remains to be seen what shape this championship rivalry takes at the upcoming circuits.
