“Maybe the girlfriend helps” – Toto Wolff’s take on Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari revival

Few people in Formula 1 know Lewis Hamilton better than Toto Wolff. The pair enjoyed one of the most successful partnerships in the sport’s history, winning six drivers’ championships together during a spell of more than a decade at Mercedes.

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season failed to deliver immediate success, with the seven-time world champion enduring a difficult maiden campaign with the Scuderia in which he failed to score a single podium finish. But the picture has looked very different in 2026.

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The Barcelona victory followed second-place finishes in Monaco and Canada, while Hamilton also stood on the podium in China earlier in the season.

Hamilton beat his former Mercedes team on Sunday. Starting alongside George Russell on the front row, he committed to an aggressive three-stop strategy and looked capable of challenging for victory even before a virtual safety car intervened late in the race.

When the VSC was triggered, Hamilton was able to make his final pit stop and emerged ahead of the two Mercedes drivers before pulling clear to secure Ferrari’s first win of the season.

It also marked the first race in 2026 not won by a Mercedes driver, with Russell victorious in Australia and Kimi Antonelli having won all the other grands prix before Barcelona.

Speaking after the race, Wolff was among the first to congratulate his former driver.

“First of all, congratulations to Lewis,” he said. “He’s worked so hard and has gone through so many difficult moments, particularly last year, that wholeheartedly I’m happy for him that he’s won.

“I’ve always said, if it’s not our two [drivers] to win, then it should be Lewis. And he merited that today.

“Of course you can say a VSC maybe came at the right time, but that’s what it is. Happy for Fred [Vasseur, Ferrari team boss] also. We had a tough time with my friend, even if he annoys me sometimes, or even if we annoy each other sometimes.

“But the pressure running Ferrari is enormous, and that’s why I’m happy and relieved for him. And it’s something that is… he’s close to my heart.”

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Photo by: Anni Graf – Formula 1 via Getty Images

Asked what he believes is behind Hamilton’s resurgence, Wolff pointed to both the characteristics of Formula 1’s new generation of cars and the driver’s situation away from the circuit.

“Hard work and I think this is a car that is maybe different to the previous era cars with the bouncing, with the stiffness, maybe not easy to feel,” Wolff said.

“And this is back to more conventional driving in terms of, I would say, at least aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics. Obviously, the engine management is completely different, but you can see he’s driving strong.

“The dynamics in the team look to be good between him and his race engineer. I saw him on the podium on the telly. I mean, you know, that face shows me that he’s very happy.

“Maybe the girlfriend helps! It helped me to have a partner that, you know, you have a stable family life and they seem to be getting on really well.

“I think it’s all of those factors that put together the emotional, personal and professional perspective.

“If you are in a good place, you win.”

Antonelli’s retirement with five laps remaining in Barcelona also had championship implications. Hamilton’s victory reduced his deficit to the Italian to 41 points, while Russell’s second-place finish leaves the Mercedes driver nine points behind Hamilton in the standings.