"Lewis Hamilton apparently knew the identity of the real alpha": Fans react to Toto Wolff revealing his promise to the 7x champion

F1 fans have reacted to Toto Wolff revealing his promise to Lewis Hamilton about not approaching Max Verstappen while the Briton was still at the team. Fans have wondered whether the 7x champion was 'scared' to have the Dutchman as a potential teammate.

Wolff sat down to discuss Hamilton's move to Ferrari in one of the episodes of the newest season of Netflix's Drive to Survive series, which will be available for the public on March 7. The Mercedes boss discussed his feelings about his driver's move and the subsequent hunt to find his potential replacement.

The show gives a behind the scenes glimpse of Wolff discussing potential replacements with his wife Susie Wolff, wherein the couple talk about the names of some of the drivers on the grid. Susie then asks about Verstappen and Toto replies saying he had not talked to Verstappen because of the promise he made to Hamilton [via Sky Sports].

Planet F1 posted the quote from the German boss on its X account, which garnered a variety of reaction from F1 fans.

"I haven't talked to him because I promised Lewis not to talk to him. But I will have the conversation now."

Many fans reacted to this news, wondering whether Hamilton was not very keen on having Verstappen as his teammate, due to the fear of being outperformed. X user @turninflat wrote:

"Interesting to learn of the Hamilton fear of Max. LH apparently knew the identity of the real alpha in the paddock."

"hahaha lewis was scared to be eaten alive by Max in the same car," claimed @steve8_a.

"So lewis was afraid," wrote another fan.

While this was the view of a section of the fans, there were also those who defended and sided with Hamilton, as they questioned the validity of Wolff's comments.

"Screams salty ex wife vibes to me from Toto…," said another fan.

"LOL toto still crying over Lewis leaving, but that's so much disrespect, glad Lewis left," said another user.

"Toto STILL talking about Lewis - give it up its getting tedious and old," said yet another fan, while also sharing an old but relevant quote from Lewis Hamilton.

This comment from Toto Wolff teases the idea that he potentially had atleast a chat with Max Verstappen to replace Lewis Hamilton at the Silver Arrows. The rumors last season suggested that the Austrian was interested in signing the Dutchman but eventually ended up placing his bets on Italian rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli.

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Toto Wolff also discussed the names of Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso as potential Lewis Hamilton replacement

Toto Wollf, Susie Wollf and George Russell having a conversation with Lewis Hamilton at the F1 75 Live - Source: Getty

Behind the scenes footage from season 7 of Drive to Survive revealed a conversation between Toto Wolff and his wife Susie Wolff discussing a potential Lewis Hamilton replacement. The couple discussed the names of Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso before talking about Max Verstappen.

Acconding to Sky Sports, in one of the episodes from season 7 of the show, the Wolff couple could be seen sat in the balcony of their Monaco residence, as they discussed the names of a few drivers already on the grid. Wolff said:

"So Carlos [Sainz] is somebody to look at. He's had some really good performances. Fernando [is another option], I mean, race pace, racecraft is still very good."

"You're not going to be starting a new era with a long contract with Fernando, it's an interim," replied Susie Wolff.

It was then that Susie asked:

"You don't think Max is an option?"

"I think he is. But, if you win all the races in a season, I think he is," replied Toto.

But as things turned out, Mercedes is heading into the 2025 season with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli as its driver pairing, which is also another exciting lineup. Lewis Hamilton will take some replacing though, as he claimed six drivers' titles while driving for the Silver Arrows.