Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff hopes that Lewis Hamilton will not leave Formula 1, after both were left “disappointed” after the very controversial final of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The British were on their way to winning their eighth world title until the last five laps, but events on and around the track changed the situation so that Max Verstappen won his first career title in Red Bull Car.
Wolff explained that Hamilton and he will fight to overcome “pain and trouble” after the race, and he hopes that the disappointment of losing the title in such a controversial way will not push Hamilton towards the exit door.
“Lewis and I are currently disappointed. We are not disappointed with sports, we love sports with every bone in our body and we love it because the stopwatch never lies. But if we violate that fundamental principle of sporting fairness and authenticity of sport, then suddenly the stopwatch no longer becomes relevant because we are exposed to random decision-making, ”Wolff said.
“You start to wonder if all the work you put in, sweat, tears and blood can be shown in achieving the best performance on the track, because all the effort can be taken away at random. The pain and the trouble that arose on Sunday will never pass us by. I hope that Lewis will continue with the races, because he is the best driver of all time. He dominated on Sunday, there was no doubt who would win. And it was worthy of winning the title. However, I think that as a runner, his heart will tell him that he must continue because he is at his peak. “
The head of the German team reiterates that they fully understand how difficult it is for Hamilton, as well as that both decisions on appeal and withdrawal were common, adding that neither of them wanted to secure the title in court.
He said that it was incredibly difficult for the team to withdraw the complaint, considering that they were a victim due to “free” interpretations of sports regulations during the race in Abu Dhabi.
“Every step along the way were joint decisions,” Wolff explained, adding:
“Together with Lewis , we decided to appeal, initiate an appeal and withdraw the appeal. Not only for him, but also for us as a team, it was terrible to face the decision that decided the outcome of the World Cup. But none of us, neither he nor we, wanted to win the title in court. “
