Lewis Hamilton has had a change of heart when it comes to if Mercedes boss Toto Wolff should become Formula 1 CEO.
The Austrian has been linked to the position in 2021 as his contract with the German manufacturer expires and current chief executive Chase Carey steps down next year.
This week, however, Hamilton questioned the possibility, suggesting his long affiliation with Mercedes would mean he inherently favoured the team in the position.
Speaking to Reuters in Austria, however, he revealed his mixed feelings on the topic.
“I’ve been a bit conflicted in the last few days. I made a comment but I don’t feel like I probably got out exactly what I was meaning,” he explained.
“Over the past couple of days I was thinking to myself, you know, bringing someone in that doesn’t know much about Formula 1 is not necessarily the right decision.
“I think Toto could do a pretty special job.”
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Regardless of whether his driver wants him in the role, Wolff responded by insisting he currently has no desire to take over as the F1 boss.
“I’m running Mercedes and I really enjoy doing that,” he told Sky Sports.
“We didn’t speak to each other, so I think he spoke his heart after the race and then he thought about it and then he wanted to change his opinion, fair enough.
“It’s good that he’s thinking about how F1 can be run in the best possible way and I think we need the best people, but I’m very happy doing what I do.”
The Austrian also welcomed Hamilton’s greater interest in the business side of the sport, having recently got involved in talks regarding the 2021 regulations.
“We started to talk a bit, I strongly encouraged him to come to the meetings, he has been there this morning at the tyres [meeting between teams and F1].
“He’s the most successful current F1 driver and has a good opinion, and the drivers should speak their minds and say what they think. They are driving the car and they should be involved in achieving the best regulations for next time around.”
