‘You couldn’t have scripted it better’ – Wolff describes Hamilton’s record home win as ‘a little fairytale’ ahead of Mercedes exit

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has expressed his satisfaction over Lewis Hamilton returning to winning ways on home soil before the team and driver go their separate ways at the end of the 2024 season.

Hamilton sent the capacity Silverstone crowd wild by charging to victory in Sunday’s dramatic, wet-dry encounter, ending a 945-day wait for a win (stretching back to Saudi Arabia 2021) and logging a record ninth triumph at a Grand Prix venue.

READ MORE: Hamilton beats Verstappen to first win since 2021 with record-breaking 9th British Grand Prix victory

There were emotional scenes as Hamilton returned to the pits post-race, with the seven-time world champion heard crying over the radio and then struggling to hold back tears during his TV interview.

Reflecting on Hamilton and Mercedes’s journey since 2022, and the arrival of ground effect regulations, Wolff said: “I think that it was so difficult over the last two years that we couldn’t really find performance, we couldn’t give the drivers a car that enabled them to go for the victories.

“To make him win again, at the British Grand Prix, in his last race for Mercedes here, it’s almost like a little fairytale. You couldn’t have scripted it better.”

READ MORE: ‘I can’t stop crying!’ – Hamilton admits there were days he ‘didn’t feel good enough’ after emotional return to winning ways

Wolff continued: “It’s clear our relationship goes back a long time. Each of us has suffered at various stages. He’s been there for me, and most recently I’ve tried to do my contribution to his doubting, at times.

“That’s why it feels really good that he’s been able to put all the negative thoughts, all the negativity, aside, and come up with this performance. I think it’s a weight off his shoulders.”

Wolff was then asked if there was a part of him that wished Hamilton would be staying at the Silver Arrows next year, rather than heading to Ferrari on a multi-year deal.

“In my life, I’ve no regrets, because you cannot have regrets,” the Austrian countered. “We are adults, we take decisions, we go for it. That’s the most important [thing].

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“We’ve got to finish this season on a high, provide them [the drivers] with a car that enables them to win and the team to score points in the constructors’ championship. That is what it is.”