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The year was 2016, and after suffering from an engine blowout while leading the race, Lewis Hamilton questioned Mercedes in front of the media. The driver was the reigning world champion at that stage after winning the title in 2014 and 2015.
In both of those seasons, Lewis Hamilton had been able to fend off teammate Nico Rosberg to win but in 2016 the battle was intense. To make things worse, Lewis had faced the short of the stick in terms of power unit reliability all season. What tipped things over was however the race in Sepang, Malaysia.
After finally wresting the initiative in the title battle, Lewis Hamilton would once again suffer a PU issue while leading the race. Furious at the persistent issues faced by him, the driver questioned Mercedes in the media. Talking to BBC, Lewis Hamilton said,
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“My questions are to Mercedes – we have lost so many engines. There are eight drivers and mine are the only ones who has failed. Someone has to give me some answers and it is not acceptable. Something or someone doesn’t want me to win this year. It’s just odd. There’s been like 43 engines from Mercedes and only mine have gone.”
Toto Wolff on building trust with Lewis Hamilton after 2016
In a recent interview with ESPN, Wolff talked about how it was important for him to build trust with Lewis Hamilton after what happened in 2016. He said:
“Trust is a bit of a topic for him and me and you need to earn trust, test it, and only then can you trust and we built it up over the years. We had some tough moments, like in 2016, but we tackled it right away."
"It’s like [what] I have with Susie [Toto’s wife], if I have an issue you pick up the phone immediately and speak. Everything is being discussed and you clear the air, or you agree to disagree. And with him since then we have been super strong.”
He added:
"He has welcomed me into his family and welcomed my family into our team. When I look at other drivers who have jumped from a team after one season, I think you’ve not given anyone a chance to really show what they can do. And you can’t build a relationship in one year with such a huge organization."
Toto and Lewis enjoy a fantastic relationship on and off the track. It will be interesting to see when/if the two announce the contract extension beyond the 2023 F1 season.
