Wolff not surprised by Hamilton's struggles: 'But the magic is still there'

21:49, 02 May

byNorberto Mujica

Toto Wolff, Mercedes' CEO and team principal, has weighed in on a sensible topic: Lewis Hamilton's 'painful' start to his time at Ferrari. Has the Briton lost his magic? Wolff himself answers.

So, things have not gone as hoped. Nothing at all surprising, says Wolff during the FIA's Team Principals' press conference ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.

"[I'm] not surprised that it [Hamilton's integration at Ferrari] has those road bumps. He's been with us [at Mercedes] 12 years, the way of operating. He's been put in a Ferrari where his teammate has been for a long, long time and his teammate clearly is one of the very good ones," said Wolff when asked about Hamilton's start of the season at Ferrari.

For Wolff it's perfectly normal that Hamilton is going through that rocky and gritty adaptation process. "If I look from the outside and speaking to him, I think it's a trajectory that any new driver needs to go through in a top team."

Wolff believes Hamilton still has the magic touch

The Austrian believes, then, that his former driver and 7-time world champion, has not suddenly lost his mojo.

"I think we've seen that magic in the sprint race. Was it Shanghai? He was completely dominating that race. And it's not like you have the magic in one race and then suddenly you lose your magic in the following one. I very much believe that it is still there."

But in order to showcase his capabilities, Wolff believes Hamilton will have to be able to put together all the markers that will then result in strong performances.

"If he aligns all of his performance contributors, if he feels being in the right space, the car to his liking, he will be stellar. I have no doubt about that."