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Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, here in Las Vegas in November, on the search for a successor: "Maybe we have to do something bold."

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Denise Truscello/Formula 1/Getty Images

According to his own statement, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff only found out from Lewis Hamilton on Wednesday at his home in Oxford that the Formula 1 record world champion would be moving to rival Ferrari in 2025. »He said he needed a change. The event itself didn't surprise me that much, but the timing did," said Wolff in a virtual media roundtable on Friday. »The timing before the first test may be new, but the cat is now out of the bag. Now we can move on.”

On Thursday, Mercedes announced the departure of the 39-year-old seven-time champion Hamilton, before Ferrari announced the Brit's commitment from 2025. Hamilton has been driving for Mercedes since 2013 and won six of his seven titles with the factory racing team.

Wolff also believes that the short-term contract that Hamilton signed last August was crucial. They knew what they were doing back then, he said, referring to the driver market with many contracts expiring after this season.

»We knew it could be a year or two. We knew that it would come to an end after 2025 at the latest,” said Wolff. He didn't even try to convince Hamilton, who drove the new car in the simulator on Friday, of anything else.

A German? “I don’t want to pursue any romantic thoughts right now.”

Wolff continued that he had not yet made a decision about his successor; the search would only become concrete in the “next few weeks.” However, the Austrian doesn't want to "exclude anyone at any time"; things in Formula 1 could change too quickly for that, as Mercedes found out for themselves. "48 hours ago I didn't think that Lewis would drive for Ferrari in 2025."

Wolff said they didn't even know whether they would take a rookie - a newcomer with no Formula 1 experience - or an experienced driver. “Maybe we have to do something bold,” said Wolff.

It remains to be seen whether this could also mean hiring a German driver. Asked about Sebastian Vettel, who ended his career at the end of 2022, and Mick Schumacher, who will also be employed as a reserve driver for the German racing team next season, Wolff said: “I don't want to pursue any romantic thoughts now because I haven't thought about it yet with my colleagues what the ideal driver lineup would be for us in 2025.«

He continues to have good contact with Vettel and also communicated with the four-time world champion on Thursday. "But not that he's driving again," said Wolff.

The team boss emphasized the increased importance of 25-year-old George Russell for the team's plans from the coming season. The current Hamilton teammate (contract until the end of 2025) has “the potential to lead the team.”

And what about three-time world champion Max Verstappen, who still has a long-term contract with Red Bull? Wolff did not comment specifically on this. He said generally: "We will always strive to have the best possible driver combination in our cars."

In addition to Verstappen, the young McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are also tied to their teams long-term, as is Hamilton's future Ferrari colleague Charles Leclerc. As things currently stand, two-time champion Fernando Alonso and his Spanish compatriot Carlos Sainz, who will then have to make way for Hamilton at Ferrari, will be coming onto the market for the 2025 season.

The question of who will drive alongside him for the Silver Arrows in 2025 will likely keep the Formula 1 paddock very busy until a decision is made. The new season begins on March 2nd in Bahrain.

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