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Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean shared a hilarious post, saying he would give Toto Wolff a call after Lewis Hamilton's surprise move to Ferrari left a seat vacant at Mercedes for the 2025 season.
Hamilton shocked the F1 world by deciding to leave the German team, where he won six of his seven world championships in 11 years, to go to the iconic Italian brand. The move surprised everyone as the seven-time world champion had already extended his contract with Mercedes in the summer of 2023.
His departure provides an opportunity for a plethora of drivers to take his place with the former world champions in 2025. Former Haas driver Romain Grosjean cheekily claimed on Instagram that he would give Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff a call enquiring about the seat.
He wrote in the caption:
"Maybe time to give a phone call to Toto."
Mercedes team principal comments on Lewis Hamilton's departure from the team
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff stated that he respected Lewis Hamilton's desire to race for a different team and leave the German manufacturer at the end of the 2024 season.
In his official statement on Mercedes's website, the Austrian reflected on the achievements the team and the British driver accomplished together during their 11 years. Wolff said:
“In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride; Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history. However, we knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come.
"We accept Lewis’s decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate. But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024.”
Lewis Hamilton too claimed that he was "100%" committed for the 2024 season with the team, saying:
"I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember.”
The departure puts Mercedes's future plans in jeopardy as they had not anticipated their star driver leaving after signing a contract extension last season.
F1 fans all around the world will keenly observe the dynamic shift between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes for the entire 2024 season and if they can finish their partnership on a high.
