F1: Lewis Hamilton irritated, Toto Wolff plays fireman

Toto Wolff denies disagreements with Lewis Hamilton

The tense moment over the radio between Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff during the Austrian Grand Prix certainly did not go unnoticed: while the Mercedes champion was talking about the penalty situation with his engineer, the team principal intervened with a more than clear message: “Lewis, we know the car is not going well but think about driving.”

It was a message that certainly did not go down well with Hamilton, who dribbled out any questions on the subject in the post-race, inviting reporters to address Wolff directly. And the Austrian executive broke the silence, explaining the situation to official Circus channels, “I intervened in the interest of the team, it was time to calm the waters. I don’t think I was harsh: you should hear what we say to each other on the phone.”

For Wolff, what happened in Austria will not have the slightest repercussion on Hamilton’s renewal negotiations with Mercedes: “We are not even talking about money and duration anymore, but about details: I am confident that everything will be resolved,” he said about the contract extension discussions.