TOTO NO-SHOW IS A BLOW FOR HAMILTON

LEWIS HAMILTON’S future at Mercedes was cast in doubt yesterday when his boss Toto Wolff was remarkably absent from a heated conference call intended to save Formula One from financial oblivion. Ferrari came under fire from the rest of the sport’s powerbrokers over their unwillingness to support the rescue package that was finally agreed — flexibility over a revised calendar and the suspension of the radical regulations’ overhaul due to be introduced next season. But Sportsmail understands that neither Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, nor Lawrence Stroll, the owner of Racing Point, took part in arguably the most crucial summit in Formula One history. The two men are believed to have travelled back together from Australia, where last Sunday’s postponed race was due to be held, and suggestions were rife last night that Wolff is being lined up to take over as chief executive of Aston Martin, the British sports car company in which Stroll has recently bought a major shareholding. This mooted development has a dramatic knock-on effect for Hamilton’s future, with his £40million contract due for renewal at the end of the year. The six-time world champion is on record as saying that whether Wolff stays or goes will be a determining factor in his decision-making. Wolff wanted to take over as chief executive of the whole sport when Liberty Media’s Chase Carey retires, but Ferrari rejected the idea of a rival executive filling the post. He has been in charge for all five of Hamilton’s championship successes at Mercedes. His exit would raise the possibility that Hamilton could yet switch to Ferrari. Neither Wolff nor Stroll took part in a previous conference call on Monday.

Racing Point will be renamed Aston Martin in 2021 after Stroll, a Canadian fashion billionaire, seized a 16.7-per-cent stake in the ailing business in January. That increased to a 25-per-cent holding earlier this month. He and Wolff are close confidants. In their absence yesterday, a fraught debate saw Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto come under fierce attack, notably from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and McLaren counterpart Zak Brown. An insider told Sportsmail: ‘There was anger at Binotto’s reluctance to give way over deferring the 2021 regulations. It got heated. He didn’t want to concede a competitive advantage for the greater good.’ In the end, agreement was reached, with the Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Grand Prix, all scheduled for May, postponed. Azerbaijan on June 7 is now the earliest possible race. It was also decided that next year’s rule changes would be delayed by a year and the budget cap of £150m reduced.