(Motorsport-Total.com) – When Toto Wolff spoke during his annual media round with a selected group of Dutch journalists in Zandvoort, among other things, the question arose of how a Formula 1 team can get the maximum out of a driver and how much freedom a team principal should grant a star driver.
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The most recent example of this is Max Verstappen and the considerable freedom he is granted at Red Bull – for example with his own racing team and excursions into endurance racing like the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
It is well known that the Dutchman drives there with a Mercedes-AMG GT3, although the question remains open whether another Formula 1 team – such as Mercedes – would ever grant a driver like Verstappen the same freedom.
Wolff gives an almost philosophical answer to this question and explains that a team principal must always analyze the best approach to get the maximum performance out of a particular driver – and therefore must understand his personality.
“I think every team is different, but I try to find out what makes the driver fast within our structure. What framework do we need to provide to achieve the best performance from the driver?” says Wolff.
“Of course, this also includes his well-being. And I also place great importance on that,” emphasizes the Mercedes team principal and explains: “I have never put drivers in a box and never said: This is how you have to be.”
Hamilton: Quick stop at Fashion Week before the Grand Prix
For Verstappen, this freedom includes participation in other racing series, but Wolff’s thoughts immediately go back to the most insightful example from his own career as a Formula 1 team principal: Hamilton’s passion for fashion, especially ahead of the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix.
“I remember Lewis Hamilton with his fashion collection back then and that race in Singapore. I think it was 2018 or 2019 when he presented his Tommy Hilfiger collection,” the Austrian recalls.
“He had a fashion show in Shanghai, where he called us via FaceTime. He was grateful that Mercedes had switched from Boss to Hilfiger so that he could have his own collection. He showed everything and said: Look at this, this is my runway, this is my collection. I can hardly believe it,” Wolff laughs.
The fashion show in Shanghai took place on September 4, but Hamilton did not travel immediately to Singapore afterwards. In between was the New York Fashion Week on his schedule to present his collection in the USA.
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“And then he flew from Shanghai to LA or New York and did it there,” Wolff recalls and reveals: “Niki Lauda said to me back then: I can’t understand why you allow that. Next week we race in Singapore, how is that even possible?”
The criticism intensified when Hamilton’s trip to Singapore was delayed and he was supposed to arrive late for the first meeting with the engineers. “Lewis said he still had to make a stopover in London or something, I don’t remember exactly. He called me on Wednesday and said it would be tight, he would come to the first meeting on Thursday,” says Wolff.
“I replied: Do me a favor, because I’m already getting enough trouble here because of you flying around the world with fancy clothes! But then he called me again and said: I’m going to be late, the flight is delayed. So Niki said to me: I really can’t believe how you can allow that,” says Wolff.
How Hamilton repaid Wolff’s trust
What followed was insightful in two ways: first in Wolff’s willingness to protect his drivers and grant them freedom, and second in how Hamilton repaid this trust on the track.
“When he arrived, I said: Lewis, do me a favor. I’ll take it off your shoulders here, I’ll take all the criticism from everyone, but just don’t let me down this weekend,” Wolff recalls.
“Understood, he said, and right then he had that incredible pole position. That was that sensational lap, and then he won the race and drove away from everyone. After the race, he came back to me and said: That was a good deal, wasn’t it?”
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Wolff adds with a laugh that from that moment on even Lauda had no problem with what Hamilton did off the track – as long as it did not negatively affect his performance on the track.
“Niki said to me afterwards: I will never criticize it again, even if he flies to the moon before a race,” says Wolff.
Hamilton took pole in Singapore back then with more than three tenths ahead of Verstappen and six tenths ahead of championship rival Sebastian Vettel. The Mercedes driver won the Sunday race with almost nine seconds ahead of Verstappen and secured his fifth world championship about a month later in Mexico.
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