‘UK does not seem to be proud of Hamilton’
British F1 champion will only be fully appreciated once he has retired, Toto Wolff tells Oliver Brown
Toto Wolff regards the rising clamour for Lewis Hamilton to be awarded a knighthood with puzzlement. His wife, Susie, a former Williams test driver, already holds an MBE for her role in advancing women in motorsport, while the six-time world champion under his leadership is a prime candidate for ennoblement in the New Year honours list. What matters to Wolff, though, is not royal investiture for Hamilton, but greater recognition by the British public of the colossus they can call their own.
“It is difficult for me, as an Austrian, to understand the importance of the British honours system,” Wolff says. “What I feel is that there is a lot of polarisation around Lewis, particularly in the UK. Why that is, I don’t know. But one thing I’m certain of is that one day, if he decides to stop his career, people will acknowledge his successes and what a great superstar he was.”
Why should it take Hamilton, who will start from third in on the grid in today’s Brazilian Grand Prix, to step away from Formula One for him to receive the universal acclaim that his achievements merit? “It’s different in other countries,” admits Wolff, who points to the example of his compatriot Marcel Hirscher, acclaimed as the greatest alpine skier in history. “He was the most successful skier ever, and there is still a great sense of pride in Austria. I haven’t felt that for Lewis in the UK, interestingly.
“You cannot judge a person on a picture in a magazine, or on what you see under a helmet. The human
I know is a fantastic personality, and I think if people were to know him, even the sceptical ones, I’m confident they would change their minds.”
This is Wolff ’s first newspaper interview since Hamilton completed a sixth straight, double triumph for Mercedes in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, a feat that not even Ferrari could manage during the pomp of Michael Schumacher. The relationship between the team principal and his £40million-a-year prize asset has never looked stronger. While Wolff ’s secret is usually understood to be the freedom that he affords Hamilton to indulge outside interests – as seen in the driver’s fashion line for Tommy Hilfiger – he explains that it is his imperviousness to the cult of celebrity.
“What I look at is the person behind the superstar,” Wolff explains. “When I interact with people, I don’t care at all who they are. I have a lot of respect for those who are not in the public eye, or who are not great achievers. I respect them because of how they are: their behaviour, their values. If you look at football managers dealing with stars, the relationships are authentic and neutral. I don’t think Jurgen Klopp cares how many Instagram followers a player has. He cares for the human. This is why my relationship with Lewis was never disturbed by the rock-star factor.”
To many, Hamilton can alienate with a high-maintenance lifestyle encompassing everything from Monte Carlo jet-skiing to red-carpet soirees with Donatella Versace. But in managing such a restless soul, Wolff sees a separate type of challenge. “I’m not sure high-maintenance does him justice. Some of the best people can also be the most complex. They are often direct, have strong opinions, and clear objectives that they won’t be distracted from.”
It is a personality type that Wolff equally embodies. Since he acquired a 30 per cent stake in Mercedes’s F1 operations in 2013, he has led the team with meticulous attention to detail, using meditation gurus and sleep doctors in search of precious extra tenths on the track. At 47, Wolff shows little appetite either for stopping or for tempering his demands for perfection.
“I don’t want to come across as ungrateful. You ask, ‘Are you still not happy with six titles?’ I am happy with how it went, but I don’t want to fall into the satisfaction trap, because that means I will not give it the same hunger, anger and hard work.”
So real is the possibility that he could soon take over as the sport’s chief executive, Hamilton has sought assurances from Wolff as to his plans before he commits his future to Mercedes beyond 2020. Wolff, it appears, is savouring the pursuit of history too deeply to be tempted away just yet. “I have these moments where it hits me, where I remind myself of what we have done,” he says. “It doesn’t leave me with a constant smile, as I’m just too sceptical about future performances. But I can feel the sense of contentment.”