‘It’s Like Déjà Vu’: Toto Wolff Says Ferrari Rivalry May Need a Breaking Point

Toto Wolff has seen this fight before. On Friday in São Paulo, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur got questions about the trouble between his drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, and it brought back bad memories for the man sitting next to him, Wolff.

The Mercedes boss said it reminded him of his own years with Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, and he hinted that things might have to get worse before they get better.

“Fred here doesn’t need any advice from me, but it’s like a déjà vu,” Wolff said. “Sometimes it needs the really tough ones, like the last one, to make a point.”

The “last one” happened in Mexico City on November 1. Hamilton started at the front, his first pole with Ferrari. But Leclerc tried to go around him at Turn 4, and both cars ran off the track.

Leclerc cut over the grass and took the lead, and Max Verstappen got past Hamilton. Verstappen won, Hamilton came second and Leclerc dropped to fourth after a five-second penalty.

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli came third that day and won the world title. So Wolff showed up in Brazil with a brand-new champion, while his friend next to him had a big mess to clean up.

Hamilton was still angry when he spoke to Rosberg right after the race: “Ultimately, it was that that lost us the win today. I think we have to have some serious talks behind the scenes, for sure.”

Toto Wolff Has Been Here Before

Wolff counted the years. “You’ve asked me exactly the same questions for how many years … 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016,” he said. “That was it, and then Nico called it a day. Four years, exactly the same situation.”

Back then, the two Mercedes drivers crashed into each other more than once. In 2016, they took each other out on the first lap in Spain. Wolff said crashes like that showed everyone where the line was.

“When there was an accident, it was understood that that was the limit,” he said. “That’s why maybe it needed to escalate to that point because it’s all about respect to the team.”

He also said he feels for Vasseur. “Sometimes, when you put two strong drivers in, the best ones have edges and they want to win,” Wolff said. “That’s a situation that’s always very difficult to cope with, particularly under the media spotlight. I can so relate to what Fred goes through at the moment.”

Fred Vasseur Keeps the Talk Private

The Race reports that Vasseur met both drivers at their hotel in São Paulo the night before the weekend’s first press conference. Leclerc had just become a dad, so he got to Brazil late. He missed first practice, and Dino Beganovic drove his car.

“It was good to discuss, good to clarify my position and their position,” Vasseur said. “It was good to do, and now we turn the page and we are focusing on the next one.” He said “the guidelines are still the same,” and he gave this reason for all the anger: “I think they’ve accumulated a bit of frustration because they’re starting each weekend side by side.”

However, he didn’t let either driver off easy. “We failed collectively because we were one-two and didn’t win the race in the end,” he said. “I’m not asking them to be best friends. I think it’s even probably a bit negative. I’m just asking them to act and to work as professionals.”

Vasseur didn’t share what he told his drivers, while Wolff spoke more openly about his rules back in the Rosberg days. “I was clear with Lewis, and I’ll keep that between Lewis and myself,” Vasseur said. Keeping it quiet is fine, but a quiet talk only works if both drivers listen.

Both drivers still have a lot to race for. Hamilton is third in the standings with 259 points, and Leclerc is fifth with 245. Wolff’s story only ended when one of his drivers quit F1 altogether, and now Vasseur is hoping his talk at the hotel can give his team a happier ending.

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