Wolff confirms Hamilton talks after ‘shelf life’ remark

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed he held clear the air talks with Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

In the release of a new book covering the Mercedes F1 team, Wolff was quoted as saying “everyone has a shelf life” when discussing Hamilton's exit from Mercedes.

Hamilton opted to sign a contract with Ferrari for the 2025 campaign, bringing his long-standing relationship with the Brackley-based squad to a close.

Matters appeared at their lowest in Brazil as Hamilton endured a difficult weekend and admitted he felt reluctant to return to the car for the final three races.

Wolff has since declared his quote was taken out of context and confirmed that he engaged in talks with Hamilton to resolve the tension.

“Lewis and I speak, and we've always done so,” Wolff told media including RacingNews365 

“And a sentence that correlates or a sentence that then happens is being made public on the weekend, particularly where he hasn't been satisfied about his driving and about the car, then one plus one then makes it look bad. 

“But one rule that we've established very early in our relationship is that we talk immediately and say ‘why did you say that?’ or ‘what did you mean?’ and that is what we have done.”

Wolff highlighted he still regards Hamilton as the sport's greatest-ever driver, asserting he has put the label on the seven-time world champion on numerous occasions. 

“That was one sentence in a book and there were 99 sentences around the Brazil weekend and quotes in some interviews that I've given about Lewis where I clearly remark that he's the greatest driver of all time,” he said. 

“[And] that if we are able to give him a quick car he's going to be able to win, he's able to fight for a championship but we have failed in doing so.”