Former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg reflects on a notable moment during the final stages of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton, in his last fifteen laps as a Mercedes driver, was told by team boss Toto Wolff that he could overtake the driver ahead of him, teammate George Russell. This moment has led Rosberg to question Wolff’s neutrality.
“We love you, and you will always be part of this family,” were the words of Toto Wolff over the radio during Hamilton’s final lap as a Mercedes driver in Abu Dhabi. “And if we can’t win, then you must win.” The Brit will move to Ferrari in 2025, having completed his final laps as a driver for the German racing team. Hamilton’s successor is rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, leading to expectations that George Russell will take on a leading role within the team next year.
According to Rosberg, it was therefore particularly striking that Wolff encouraged the seven-time world champion in the last fifteen laps in Abu Dhabi to overtake teammate Russell. The Austrian is usually not often heard over the radio, but according to the former driver, he was cheering Hamilton on to pass Russell. The departing driver was on fresher tires at the time and could therefore finish the race ahead of his teammate.
Neutral?
Former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, however, does not think that Russell should let Wolff’s ‘strange’ radio message slide. The current analyst even encourages the British driver to confront Wolff about the moment. “Toto came on the radio and said: ‘you can do this, Lewis’,” Rosberg recalls, in the Sky Sports F1 podcast. “This is about his teammate! If I were George and I listened back to this, I would be like: ‘Toto, what’s up with that? You should be neutral here’.”
