Toto Wolff takes shots at Lewis Hamilton's 'devoted fans' who will always seek the fault of Mercedes for the driver's underperformance

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has claimed that Lewis Hamilton's self-critical nature took the pressure off the team while taking shots at his "devoted fans" who always target the Brackley-based outfit for his underperformance. The German team has been struggling for consistent performances ever since the introduction of the new aero regulations in 2022.

They have failed to deliver a competitive package throughout the season, despite finishing P3 and P2 in the last two years. Some Hamilton fans have been vocal about their frustration with the car's pace this year, especially given that 2024 marks the seven-time world champion's farewell from Mercedes.

While appearing on the High-Performance podcast, Wolff pointed out that Lewis Hamilton's self-critical nature has helped the team in relieving some pressure, saying:

"It takes the pressure off the team. He has some devoted fans that will always seek the fault of the team and he takes the pressure off the team. But he's also very honest and transparent about when somebody gets it wrong either him or the team's performance or anybody else and I think that means being authentic and credible."

Despite registering two race wins to his name in 2024, Hamilton's performances this year have largely been underwhelming, as was evident during the recently concluded Brazilian Grand Prix, where he could only manage a P10 finish after starting from P15.

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Lewis Hamilton reflects on the final three races of the 2024 season

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton stated that he wasn't overly concerned about finishing ahead of his teammate as it wouldn't significantly impact his overall season and mentioned that he was looking forward to Christmas after the 2024 Brazilian GP.

As per Autosport, the dejected 39-year-old British driver, who is currently two points behind George Russell in the standings despite having more race wins and podiums this year, said:

“I don't care if I finish ahead of [team-mate] George [Russell] or behind George. It doesn't make no difference to me. I just want to keep the car out the wall and try to score points if I can for the team, if I can finish, whatever. If they give me a car that doesn't bounce off the track in the next few races, then hopefully we can get a better result. But yeah, looking forward to Christmas.”

He added:

“Obviously, it's devastating to have these bad races in the second half of the season - but all I can say is, we're trying."

Hamilton only has three races and one sprint remaining in his Mercedes career, as he would be joining Ferrari at the beginning of the 2025 season on a multi-year deal, racing alongside Charles Leclerc.