Toto Wolff criticizes Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes fans for their 'need to create some crazy made-up conspiracies'
Toto Wolff recently blasted a few Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes fans for conspiracy theories that the team was intentionally sabotaging the seven-time world champion. These theories surfaced in 2024 when Hamilton started struggling in qualifying sessions and races.
Though Hamilton has had a great qualifying record in his career with a total of 104 pole positions, he particularly struggled in the 2024 F1 season. In a head-to-head comparison between him and his teammate, George Russell, the latter sits 18-5 ahead, which is quite shocking for many Hamilton fans.
Before the 2024 season began, Ferrari announced that they had signed Lewis Hamilton as their permanent driver for 2025 and beyond. This meant that he would race with Mercedes for the last time in 2024, leaving a 12-year-old legacy behind.
Because of this all these incidents and turn of events, many fans gradually started theorizing whether Mercedes was purposefully giving Hamilton a weaker car, now that he was leaving the team. Thousands of fans criticized the Brackley-based team and spread the conspiracy theories as rumors.
Speaking to The Times, Toto Wolff initially showed love towards Lewis Hamilton's and Mercedes' fanbase but then criticized some of them who fueled these rumors. He remarked that these fans were simply people who could hide behind screens and write anything without understanding the sport.
“We love our fans, they contribute to what we are and the other ones who believe that they need to create some crazy, made-up conspiracies, it doesn’t even bother me,” Wolff said.
“They are just idiots who have no understanding. You are hiding behind your screen, somewhere over the mountains and you want to write a comment? Wonderful. You are writing it for yourself and the few other lunatics that want to engage with you,” he added.
Toto Wolff admits Mercedes 'failed' to deliver a quick car for Lewis Hamilton to fight for championships
While Toto Wolff blasted some fans for creating conspiracy theories that Mercedes was intentionally giving Lewis Hamilton a slower car, he admitted that the team as a whole was struggling to create a strong machine.
Speaking to F1.com, he said that he had previously clarified that Hamilton was capable of winning championships if the team managed to create a decent car for him. He then admitted that his team has failed to develop a championship-worthy machine to help the seven-time world champion break F1's title record.
“In some interviews that I’ve given about Lewis I’ve clearly remarked that he’s the greatest driver of all time and that if we are able to give him a quick car, he’s going to be able to win and fight for championships. We have failed in doing so,” Toto said.
While Hamilton has enjoyed the top spot with Mercedes for many years, he is currently struggling in seventh place in the 2024 F1 drivers' championship table with only 211 points.