Red Bull chief takes a savage jibe at Toto Wolff’s recent Lewis Hamilton comment

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko took a sarcastic approach towards Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari picking out on Toto Wolff's earlier statement.

Lewis Hamilton's decision to leave Mercedes after racing with the team for almost a decade to move to Ferrari has shaken the F1 world. He has become the face of the team through the years and as unpalatable as this might be for Mercedes, it was made official earlier.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton have been quite close in the past years in and out of racing. This decision, as one might expect, might bring a difference in their relationship.

Oe24, speaking earlier to Red Bull's Helmut Marko, reminded that Toto Wolff had once stated that he is so close to Hamilton that no piece of paper would fit between the two, to which Marko took quite a savage approach, saying,

"...but a Ferrari contract would [fit]."

Marko also revealed that Max Verstappen was "amused" when the announcement about Hamilton's move was made official by Mercedes and Ferrari. Furthermore, when asked if Verstappen decides to leave Red Bull in the future, Marko said,

"I would rule that out."

Despite having a contract with Mercedes through the 2025 season, a clause allowed Lewis Hamilton to break free in the second year and choose to move to Ferrari.

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Lewis Hamilton might not be able to battle Red Bull initially during his final season with Mercedes

Red Bull had a complete domination on the grid during the 2023 F1 season. They managed to emerge victorious in all races, except one, the Singapore GP.

It was apparent that they had set the benchmark of performance for the grid. Mercedes remained far off from the pace that the RB19 had. Heading into the 2024 season, teams at the top (Mercedes and Ferrari) are expected to be much more competitive towards Red Bull owing to the development they had later in the season. But from what Toto Wolff shared, they still might only be chasing them. RacingNews365 quoted him,

"We were in a tough fight last season with Ferrari and McLaren, at times Aston Martin, with a big gap between Red Bull and the rest."

"I would hope we are in the chasing pack at the beginning of the season and hopefully a step closer to Red Bull."

This is set to be Lewis Hamilton's final year with the Brackley team. He has not won a single race since the Saudi Arabian GP in 2021 but continues to aim for his record-breaking eighth World Championship. It is hard to say if he will be able to achieve that in the 2024 season, but his plans with Ferrari in the future are seemingly clear.