Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari in 2025 was a “surprise” but said it could provide the opportunity to “do something bold”.
Hamilton, 39, only signed a new two-year deal with Mercedes last August.
He told Wolff of his decision to leave after 11 years over a planned breakfast at the Austrian’s home on Wednesday.
Wolff said he did not “hold a grudge” against the seven-time world champion and did not attempt to change his mind.
“He felt he needed change and I can understand that,” Wolff said on Friday.
“We have had tremendous success. We shared the opinion when we decided to sign a short-term contract that there may be opportunities for him and for us.
“Maybe one consideration was the opportunity to sign a longer-term contract with Ferrari and give it a really big go at the end of his career.
“We have had a sensational journey together that will go down in the history books. We want to finish on a high in terms of his [Mercedes] career, but we will build another phase of success – and we will look back on this very good time with Lewis.”
Wolff has overseen six of Hamilton’s world title triumphs since their relationship at Mercedes began in 2013, paving the way for a period of unprecedented team success that delivered eight consecutive constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021.
The 52-year-old described the partnership between Mercedes and Hamilton as “the most successful the sport has seen” when the team confirmed the driver’s departure on Thursday.
Although Wolff said he had heard rumours regarding Hamilton’s future earlier in the week, he wanted to wait until he had the chance to hear from him in person.
“We got together for coffee at my place in Oxford. He said to me he had decided to race for Ferrari in 2025 and that was basically it. We had a good hour of conversation,” Wolff said.