Toto Wolff got ‘lots of sh*t’ as Lewis Hamilton story recalled

Toto Wolff found himself in the crosshairs of Niki Lauda back in Singapore 2018 and needed Lewis Hamilton to justify the scenario.

Wolff recalled how he had allowed Hamilton to attend his fashion shows before the event, much to the bewilderment of Lauda, the late three-time world champion and ex-Mercedes non-executive chairman. Wolff got “lots of sh*t” for giving the green light and just needed Hamilton not to let him down. What followed was an on-track masterclass.

Toto Wolff took the bullets and Lewis Hamilton delivered

Over the years, Hamilton’s celebrity status has grown far beyond the world of Formula 1.

Among his outside interests is the world of fashion. Hamilton has collaborated with fashion brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Dior, now serving as an ambassador for the latter.

“I remember Lewis Hamilton with his fashion collection back in the day and there was this Singapore race,” Wolff recalled, as per Motorsport.com, in reference to the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix.

“When he launched his Tommy Hilfiger collection.

“He had a fashion show in Shanghai where he FaceTimed us. He was grateful that Mercedes changed from Boss to Hilfiger to allow him to have his own collection. He showed everything and said, ‘Look at this, this is my catwalk, this is my collection. I can’t believe it!’

“And then he flew from Shanghai to New York and did it there.

“Niki Lauda said to me back in the day, ‘I cannot comprehend why you allow this. We are racing in Singapore next weekend, so how is this even possible?'”

Hamilton was delayed in getting to Singapore and was late as the first engineering meeting was held on the Thursday. That did not ease the scrutiny on Wolff, to say the least.

“Lewis said that he needed to do another stopover in London or so, I don’t even remember,” said Wolff. “He calls me on Wednesday and says that it will be touch and go, arriving on Thursday for the first engineering meeting.

“I replied, ‘Do me a favour, because I’m already getting lots of sh*t here for you doing a 360 around the world in funky clothes!’

“But then he called me again and said, ‘I’m late, the flight has been delayed. So Niki says to me, ‘I really can’t believe how you can allow that.'”

“When he arrived, I said, ‘Lewis, do me a favour. I’ll take it from you here, I’ll take all the criticism from everyone, but just don’t let me down this weekend.’

“‘Understood,’ he said.”

Hamilton proceeded to unleash one of the all-time great pole position laps. An assured victory on Sunday strengthened his lead in that year’s Drivers’ Championship.

“‘That was a good deal, no?'” Hamilton’s message, according to Wolff, after the race.

Even if Hamilton “flies to the moon” before a race was now cool with Lauda, Wolff recalled, from that point on.

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Hamilton, in recent years, cooled his interest in another passion, that being car collecting.

However, while Hamilton sold his cars, he acquired an iconic Ferrari F40, and lifted the lid on a renovation project of the machine between himself and Ferrari.

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Continue reading: Lewis Hamilton unveils Ferrari F40 project after selling $18 million car collection