Watch: Toto Wolff publicly admonishing Lewis Hamilton for the first time in a decade

F1 Grand Prix of Turkey
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton have shared an open and transparent relationship throughout

The Mercedes team boss isn't particularly known for radio comms with his drivers. However, this is the first time in a decade that Toto Wolff spoke up to Lewis Hamilton and rebuked him twice over the radio in Spielberg during the Austrian Grand Prix.

Here is the footage of the communication that took place between Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff:

Lewis Hamilton was struggling to drive the car, and he called out the speed of the underperforming Mercedes. He was also flustered that some of his rivals, like Sergio Perez, weren't penalized.

That was the first time Wolff intervened and said:

“Lewis, the car is bad, we know. Just please drive it.”

Lewis Hamilton was punished by F1 referee Niels Wittich for crossing track limits. He was found guilty of exceeding track limits more than once, which the stewards took notice of.

The seven-time world champion finished P7 but was pushed down a position to P8 in the final standings after his five-second penalty was increased to 10 seconds.


Will this cold exchange affect Lewis Hamilton's relationship with Toto Wolff and his future at Mercedes?

F1 Grand Prix of Monaco - Practice
F1 Grand Prix of Monaco - Practice

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff cleared the air, assuring the public that this would not affect his relationship with Lewis Hamilton or his contract with Mercedes.

This is what he had to say to the media about his communication with Hamilton:

“No, not at all. You should hear us talking on the phone and meeting each other. That was nothing."

Acknowledging that the team had a bad weekend, he added:

“We have had a bad weekend, all of us in the team, and that just makes us stronger. It was only in the best interest of the driver and the team. Sometimes, there is a certain moment when you need to calm things down but I meant well. We had a lot of discussions about track limits and whether they were enforced or not."

In conclusion, Wolff said:

“I wanted to make sure we were getting the best out of the package that wasn’t performing, and trying to give it our best shot.”

It has been an unlucky weekend for Mercedes in Austria. Hamilton finished 10th in the Sprint on Saturday, while his fellow teammate George Russell finished P8. Russell was pushed to P7, benefiting from Hamilton's penalty.

Despite the fact that Hamilton's losing streak is on its way to crossing 32 races, Wolff suggested on June 12 that the Briton's next contract would be finalized in a few days. However, a confirmation of the extension at Silverstone is still in limbo.

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