Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the timing of Lewis Hamilton's decision to leave for Ferrari “bothered us a little” – but insisted there was no “hardcore” between them.
Wolff said he had heard rumors that Hamilton might quit the team but wasn't sure until the Formula 1 great confirmed it at a breakfast meeting on Wednesday at Wolff's home in Oxford.
The British driver will leave Mercedes at the end of next season to join Ferrari for 2025 in a move announced on Thursday.
The Austrian told reporters that HamiltonRenault's decision came too late for them to consider some obvious rivals to replace him, with McLaren's Lando Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc signing new contracts last month.
“The timing shocked us a little bit,” he said.
Hamilton, from Stevenage, has been racing for Mercedes since 2013 and has won six of his seven world titles with the team.
Wolff said: “The surprise was that I heard the rumors two days ago but I wanted to wait for the breakfast we had planned, and it was Wednesday morning, and that is when the news was announced.”
“But, you know, you can be very clear with me because I'm very clear, too. So as soon as he said, 'This is what I'm trying to do,' that was the truth. I didn't try to convince him.” He has something else.”
Wolff added that he still considers Hamilton a friend. He added: “In the future, we will discuss whether it is possible to do it differently or not, but I do not hold any grudges.”
In a glimpse of the shock within the wider Mercedes team, Wolff said Hamilton's long-time race engineer Peter Bonnington – known as “Bono” in their radio conversations during races – replied: “Is it April 1?” When she was told Hamilton was leaving.
Hamilton finalized the two-year extension with Mercedes at the end of last August, but activated a release clause that allows him to leave after one year.
Wolff said the fact that Hamilton was seeking a new challenge was not a surprise but the timing was.
He suggested Hamilton may be “rolling the dice” as the 39-year-old bids for another shot at his eighth Formula 1 title.
“We knew that by signing a short-term contract, it could be beneficial for both sides. We couldn't commit longer and he made the choice to exit. We fully respect that you can change your mind, it's good.” Different circumstances,” he said.
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Lewis Hamilton won six world titles with Mercedes
Wolff added that Mercedes can now take its time in deciding on a new driver to partner George Russell next year.
He likened Mercedes' need for a new driver to dealing with the sudden departure in 2016 of Hamilton's then-teammate Nico Rosberg, who retired from Formula 1 days after winning the title.
“I always like change because change gives you opportunity, in the same way we embraced Nico's situation,” he said. “It was also unpredictable from one moment to the next.”
Hamilton has not won a race since 2021, when he narrowly – and controversially – missed out on the title to Max Verstappen in the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Mercedes struggled to adapt to the new 'ground effect' aerodynamics reintroduced for 2022, and Russell's win in Sao Paulo that year was the team's only win since.
In 2026 – which will be Hamilton's second season of a 'multi-year' deal with Ferrari – a new set of rules is expected to change the grid.
Wolff said he had no concerns about involving Hamilton in the development of Mercedes, even with Hamilton joining another competitor. “I have no doubt about Lewis’ integrity when it comes to sharing information,” Wolf said.
