When Toto Wolff sat down with Dutch journalists at Zandvoort, the conversation turned to a classic question: how much freedom should a team boss give to a star driver? The latest example is Max Verstappen, who is free to race in other series, like the Nurburgring 24 Hours, in his own Mercedes-AMG GT3. But for Wolff, it's the memory of Lewis Hamilton that stands out most.
Wolff recalls the build-up to the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix, when Hamilton was busy launching his fashion collection with Tommy Hilfiger. Hamilton was in Shanghai for a fashion show, then flew to New York for a similar event. Wolff recounted, "He FaceTimed us, showed off his collection, and said, 'Look at this, this is my catwalk, this is my collection. I can't believe it!'"
However, Niki Lauda, then Mercedes' non-executive chairman, questioned Wolff's decision. "Niki said to me, 'Toto, how can you allow this? We're racing in Singapore next week, and he's busy with a fashion show?'" Wolff recalled. "I said, 'Because he needs that to perform at his best in the car.'"
The result? Hamilton delivered a stellar performance at Marina Bay, taking a legendary pole position, considered one of the best laps of his career. For Wolff, that moment proved that giving drivers freedom is key to unlocking their full potential. "I have never put drivers in a box, never said this is how you need to be," Wolff asserted.
Wolff also emphasized the importance of driver well-being. "I think every team is different, but what I try to do is identify what makes the driver fast within our structure. What kind of framework do we need to provide to extract the best performance? Part of that is obviously well-being," he explained. This philosophy, which might seem controversial, has been the foundation of Mercedes' success with Hamilton for years.
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