Mercedes Formula 1 chief Toto Wolff has revealed a striking update from within the team regarding seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton sent shockwaves through the F1 paddock earlier this year when he announced that he would be leaving the Silver Arrows to join Ferrari in 2025.
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However, despite his highly successful time with the team, results since the most recent regulation change in 2022 have not been good, with Mercedes struggling to keep up with the likes of Red Bull and McLaren.
Hamilton endured a winless streak that lasted from the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, until his emotional victory at Silverstone in 2024, for example, and there has been no sign of any challenge for a record-breaking eighth world championship.
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Wolff confirms significant Mercedes decision
Not only does Hamilton leave behind a legacy on track at Mercedes, but his personal projects have also had a profound impact on the team since joining.
The Brit’s work on diversity and inclusion has ingrained itself within the team, and according to team principal Toto Wolff, they will ensure progress is made in this area following Hamilton’s exit, not only behind the scenes but also publicly by retaining the black Mercedes livery.
“Lewis Hamilton is a global phenomenon and he has certainly played a role in positioning the Mercedes brand, which has become a little more daring, a little more contemporary and extravagant,” Wolff said to Channel 4 after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“But he’s had an impact on diversity issues; you know, a lot of our population now comes from under-represented groups and that’s what will make us stronger because it’s about different cultures, different perspectives.
“[Hamilton] made us kneel when we needed to, and he supported us to make the car black and it will stay black.
“We’re not going to shy away from it.”
