Toto Wolff Denies Early Contract Termination Rumors with Lewis Hamilton: “Baseless and Untrue”
Following a dramatic United States Grand Prix that saw Lewis Hamilton’s race end prematurely due to a spin, rumors have circulated suggesting Mercedes could be considering an early termination of Hamilton’s contract. However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has firmly dismissed these claims as nothing more than baseless gossip.
Addressing the media, Wolff was quick to set the record straight: “These rumors are completely untrue. There is no truth to the idea of ending Lewis’ contract early. It’s baseless, and frankly, we are focused on solving the technical issues that led to the crash, not on entertaining unfounded speculation.”
The speculation arose after Hamilton’s unexpected spin on the second lap of the race, which occurred at Turn 19—a corner that had already caused issues for both Mercedes drivers during the weekend. Hamilton, apologetic after the incident, attributed the spin to the car’s unpredictable behavior rather than driver error, a sentiment echoed by Wolff.
“Lewis doesn’t lose control like that. The issue was 100 percent down to the car, not him,” Wolff reiterated. “We saw similar problems with George [Russell] in qualifying, so clearly, there’s something we need to address with the car, not the driver.”
Despite the early exit, Hamilton remains an integral part of Mercedes’ future plans, and both he and the team are working hard to return to winning form.