"Everyone has a shelf life": Toto Wolff on why Lewis Hamilton was not offered a long term contract by Mercedes

Toto Wolff unraveled why Mercedes did not offer a long-term contract to their most successful driver, Lewis Hamilton. Through his comments in Mercedes' book Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane, Wolff discussed Silver Arrows looking at the bigger picture and deciding against offering a lengthy contract to a 39-year-old Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton signed a multi-million dollar contract with Ferrari in February this year. According to the contract, the seven-time world champion will move to the Prancing Horse next year to replace Williams-bound Carlos Sainz and drive alongside Charles Leclerc.

The announcement of Hamilton's move to Ferrari created ripples across the F1 fraternity, as he still had one more year of contract with Toto Wolff's team.

As per reports, Hamilton wanted a long-term contract at Mercedes, which the Silver Arrows did not agree to. As a result, they handed him a one-plus-one-year contract that covered 2024 and 2025. Hamilton signed the contract in late 2023 and around six months later, decided to move to Ferrari in 2025.

Wolff, speaking about why Mercedes chose to hand a one-plus-one-year contract to Lewis Hamilton, said (as quoted by Motorsport Magazine):

“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,” Wolff said.

Lewis Hamilton has been with the Brackley-based team for the last 12 years, and his combination with the German giant has been the most successful one in the sport. Together, they won eight Constructors' championships and six drivers' titles. With Mercedes, the seven-time world champion claimed 84 victories.

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Lewis Hamilton shared his thoughts on Ferrari move

Lewis Hamilton driving the Mercedes W-15 at the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil - Source: Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton will turn 40 next year, and standing at the dusk of his career, he decided to fulfill his childhood dream — driving the Scarlet Ferrari one day. However, he also said that he is still in love with the team that helped him reach the pinnacle of success (via the aforementioned source):

“I feel like I’m ending a relationship that’s perfectly fine. We’re still in love. I haven’t lost faith in the team. I’m just leaving for myself. [Moving to Ferrari] has been a childhood dream. I think it’s probably the same for every kid who loves motorsport. You know? Driving the red car," Hamilton said.

Mercedes signed Kimi Antonelli, an Italian prodigy as Hamilton's replacement. Antonelli is currently racing in Formula 2 and will join the Silver Arrows next season to race alongside George Russell.