Toto Wolff clarifies Lewis Hamilton 'shelf-life' comments made about Mercedes driver
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has clarified the comments about everyone having a shelf life when talking about Lewis Hamilton's impending departure from the team. The Austrian faced backlash from Hamilton fans online for his comments in the recently released book on the team.
While addressing Hamilton's departure, Wolff had said in the book that he was in a way happy that the driver had made the call because everyone has a shelf life and that it was time for Mercedes to take a look at the younger generation.
The comments led to fan backlash, especially the claim about Hamilton having a shelf life, which didn't go down well. On his appearance on the BBC F1 podcast, Wolff clarified that what was said was taken out of context:
“That was taken a little bit out of context. What I was referring to is that all of us, we age, and whether it’s in the car, on a pitch, or as a manager and entrepreneur, you have to, and this is what I’m trying to do with myself, understand am I going from great to good. Because good is not in Formula 1 anymore."
He added:
“Now, contrary to my own self-assessment, I think we see with Lewis that he’s very much there when the car is right. And we haven’t been able to give him that car for him to perform best, and that is a frustration that we equally have in the team and for himself.
"But he’s very sharp. He’s different to when he was a 20-year-old, that’s certainly clear. His experience and his race craft is tremendous.”
What had Toto Wolff said about Lewis Hamilton?
The backlash originated from Toto Wolff's comments where he said that there was a reason why Mercedes had given a 1+1 contract to Lewis Hamilton, hinting at the driver's age. He had said:
“There’s a reason why we only signed a one-plus-one-year contract. We’re in a sport where cognitive sharpness is extremely important, and I believe everyone has a shelf life.
“So I need to look at the next generation. It’s the same in football. Managers like Sir Alex Ferguson or Pep Guardiola. They anticipated it in the performance of their top stars and brought in junior players that drove the team for the next years.”
Lewis Hamilton starts the final stretch of the last three races of his partnership with Mercedes this weekend. The partnership has been together for more than a decade and is the most successful in F1 history.