P1racenews AI automatic summary:
A handful of drivers were linked to Lewis Hamilton’s drive at Mercedes this year following his decision to join Ferrari next year.
Toto Wolff expressed that Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari caught him off guard, preventing him from negotiating with other top F1 drivers. Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes was confirmed before the current season, with rookie Kimi Antonelli set to replace him next year. Both Lando Norris of McLaren and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari had recently extended their contracts when Hamilton made his move, leaving Wolff unable to pursue them for Mercedes. Wolff noted the unexpected nature of Hamilton’s decision and the impact it had on the team commercially. Despite the change, Wolff emphasized that it was a business decision and that there are no hard feelings, while Hamilton expressed his continued respect and affection for the team.
