Wolff promised Hamilton he wouldn’t approach Verstappen

Toto Wolff has revealed that he promised Lewis Hamilton that he wouldn’t make a transfer for Max Verstappen whereas the seven-time world champion was nonetheless with Mercedes.

The Admission comes within the newest collection of Drive to Survive, because the Mercedes boss ponders his choices following the shock information that Hamilton had signed for Ferrari.

The Austrian was contemplating numerous potential ‘replacements’ for Hamilton, and mentioned his choices together with his spouse, Susie.

“You do not assume Max is an choice?” she asks, to which Toto replies: “I believe he’s.

“I have never spoken to him as a result of I promised Lewis I would not discuss to him,” he provides, “however I’ll have the dialog now.”

Additionally on the Austrian’s procuring listing have been the Spaniards, Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso.

“I imply, race tempo, race-craft continues to be superb,” he says, to which his spouse refers back to the two-time world champion’s age.

“You are not going to be beginning a brand new period with an extended contract with Fernando,” she says of the 43-year-old, “it is an interim.”

Wolff finally opted to remain in-house, taking of venture on 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli, the Austrian having beforehand mentioned he made the choice to signal the Italian teen “5 minutes” after listening to of Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari.

“I made up my thoughts 5 minutes after Lewis Hamilton informed me that he’ll Ferrari,” Wolff informed reporters at Monza, following his affirmation of Antonelli’s drive final September.

“Clearly we have been discussing different choices and looking out on the Max concept,” he added, “we did not low cost it utterly with what occurred at Pink Bull. However instinctively that’s the line-up with these two (Russell and Antonelli) that I all the time wished, taking into consideration the fast-tracking that we did with Kimi and all the pieces associated there too, however that was instantly what I wished to do.”

If he’d actually made the choice after 5 minutes, why did not he inform poor previous Susie, so that they might have their breakfast in peace, to not point out the Drive to Survive crew whose time he was clearly losing.

Actually, there are occasions a few of these scenes nearly seem staged.