Lewis Hamilton says he and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff came together “like magnets” to achieve their recent success.
Both men joined the German manufacturer at the same time in 2013 and since then have gone on to claim five Drivers’ titles and six Constructors’ Championship as they dominate the hybrid era of Formula 1.
It wasn’t until 2017 that Wolff became the effective team boss at Mercedes, following the exit of Paddy Lowe, but Hamilton reflected on how their relationship evolved and why it has worked so well.
“We were just like magnets, we drew each other together,” he said, in a special interview with Toto and Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle.
“I needed Toto to do what he did with the team and he needed me to do what I do in the car.
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“We’re so similar in our personalities. Both stubborn. Both massively driven.
“My goals in life are that I want to win. I’ve got to figure out what people I want around me to achieve that and this is what Toto does.”
Despite being boss and employee, the 35-year-old also considers the Austrian a “colleague and friend”, however, when it comes to critical matters like contract talks, Hamilton does admit it isn’t always smooth.
“We have disagreements. We’ve never had a bust-up or anything like that. We have disagreements but we just talk it out,” he explained.
“The thing is, I think we’ve just always been really transparent with each other whether you like it or not, and I think that’s been why it’s as healthy as it is.”
Hamilton also explained how honesty is crucial when it comes to understanding the reality behind some news stories.
“Communication really is so important though because we’re constantly both being interviewed. There’ll be times that Toto’s been interviewed and I won’t even know he’s been interviewed and vice versa,” Lewis said.
“Months down the line, they’ll pick a single line or a single word and they’ll twist it. You’ll see something in the news and you’ll go, ‘Toto, how could you say that?’ and he’ll say, ‘I didn’t say that.’
“We’ve learnt over time because in the past you’d see something and it would frustrate you and rather than saying something about it, you’d dwell on it for several days. Suddenly you’d bump into each other and then we’re like, ‘no, that’s actually not what’s happened.’
“Now we find that if there’s a problem, we’ll pick up the phone and we’ll sort it out straight away.”
