F1 | Toto Wolff: “Putting Ocon on Mercedes would have been a risk for his career”

With the Hamilton-Bottas pairing, Mercedes will have for the fourth consecutive year a duo capable of winning the constructors' championship, with the Briton obviously the top driver and chasing Michael Schumacher's record, which is now very close. The separation with Ocon, a Frenchman who moved to Renault, was seen by some as a sort of failure, but Toto Wolff, boss of the Stella team, sees it from another point of view.

“Putting him against Hamilton, a driver at the peak of his career and with Mercedes for seven years would not have been good for him, especially after the season spent in the pits - said Toto Wolff a Speed ​​Week. It could have been an exciting story for sure, and it probably would have done well, but there is only one guy who managed to impose himself against a superstar (the reference is to Hamilton himself against Alonso in 2007 in McLaren)”.

“Pilots need time and I don't want to put his career at risk – Toto continued. This was the critical point: when managing the riders you need to be aware that they are making their dreams come true and their main goal is to win the world title. This can lead to tension, because certain objectives do not always correspond to those of the team. But I am proud, because over the years we have always managed to put Mercedes as the main objective, so as to become one of the most successful sports teams in the world."