Toto Wolff shares the Pep Guardiola advice he used when Lewis Hamilton told him he was leaving Mercedes

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One of the biggest stories of the 2024 Formula 1 season has been Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes to switch to Ferrari.

It could likely be the final move that Hamilton makes in his F1 career as he attempts to win his eighth title with the most successful team in the history of the championship.

Along with Hamilton, several other big figures within Mercedes that were key to their dominance throughout the hybrid era have also left.

This includes engine boss Andy Cowell, who joined Aston Martin, while Jerome D’Ambrosio and engineer Loic Sierra will follow the seven-time World Champion to the Scuderia.

Discussing the departures on the recent High-Performance podcast, Toto Wolff has revealed that he received advice from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on how to deal with the exits.

Toto Wolff reveals advice from Pep Guardiola on how to deal with exits

Much like Mercedes, Guardiola has also dealt with several key figureheads within Manchester City exiting the team after their dominance in the English Premier League.

Wolff, who is friends with Guardiola and invited him as a guest to races, revealed that he asked the manager how to deal with losses within a team.

“I had a chat with Pep Guardiola a long time ago, he’s a friend, and I said ‘What do you do if this and that player leaves?’,” said Wolff.

“He said ‘What do you mean, what do I do?’ And I said ‘Well, do you try to convince them to stay?’ And he said ‘No. If somebody thinks they can play elsewhere better, then you just have to let them go’

“It is something that I embrace the same way here. If somebody wants to go, then lets make it as good as possible for each of the parties.”

Mercedes must identify ‘fundamental problem’ with W15 they must fix for 2025 challenger

It has been a mixed season for Mercedes characterised by lack of consistency and raw speed on track.

Since 2022 they have only won four races, having gone winless throughout 2023. Both Hamilton and George Russell have achieved victories this season, but their form has dropped off in the second half of the season.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes AMG F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Mercedes introduced their last major upgrade at the US GP to address some of their problems, but trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has revealed the team must fix a ‘fundamental problem’ with their W15 if they stand any hope of their 2025 challenger winning races.

Reserve driver Esteban Guiterrez explained why their car can be challenging to drive, particularly at the recent Mexico GP where the high altitude presented a lot of challenges for cooling.