Toto Wolff spoke with Lewis Hamilton after his “one sentence in a book” created headlines that overrode his other comments that the Briton is the “greatest driver of all time”.

Hamilton will bid farewell to Mercedes at the end of the season, the Briton calling time on his 12-year career with the Silver Arrows to join Ferrari in a multi-year deal.

Toto Wolff stands by his ‘shelf life’ comment

But as they close in on the long goodbye, a few cracks seem to have appeared with Hamilton blasting his W15 as the “worst it has ever been” at the Brazilian Grand Prix while Wolff spoke of the seven-time World Champion’s “shelf life” in a new book, ‘Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane’.

“There’s a reason why we only signed a one-plus-one-year contract,” Wolff said. “We’re in a sport where cognitive sharpness is extremely important, and I believe everyone has a shelf life.”

He went on to say that he “liked the situation” of Hamilton leaving for Ferrari as it helped Mercedes “because it avoids the moment where we need to tell the sport’s most iconic driver that we want to stop.”

Days later he insisted his comments were “taken out of context” while Hamilton brushed it aside given his long-time team principal had been “massively supportive over the years so it doesn’t really make any bearing on”.

Wolff reckons one sentence overrode “99 sentences” of him praising Hamilton as the greatest of all time.

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“Lewis and I speak, and we’ve always done so, and a sentence that correlates or a sentence that then happens is being made public on the weekend, particularly where he hasn’t been satisfied about his driving and about the car, then one plus one then makes it look bad,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com.

“But one rule that we’ve established very early in our relationship is that we talk immediately and say ‘why did you say that?’ or ‘what did you mean?’ and that is what we have done.

“You know, that was one sentence in a book and there were 99 sentences around the Brazil weekend and quotes in some interviews that I’ve given about Lewis where I clearly remark that he’s the greatest driver of all time and that if we are able to give him a quick car he’s going to be able to win, he’s able to fight for a championship but we have failed in doing so.”

However, the Austrian says he still stands by his belief that everyone has a shelf life – himself included.

“What I said is that everybody has a shelf life and you don’t want to become from great to good. And that doesn’t exclude the drivers,” Wolff said “And it’s still something that I stand by.

“I’m asking myself this question all the time. And so I do it for the organisation and for everybody around.”

Mercedes have just two races remaining with Hamilton as their driver in a partnership that included six World titles, 82 race wins and eight Constructors” Championship titles.

For now Wolff says it is business as usual, although he’s sure the emotions will catch up at some point.

“I think we’re still running the season,” he said. “So the weekends feel like they felt before. You know, these meetings where long-term development is being discussed, they don’t happen so regularly and we didn’t have them for the last few months. So it’s pretty much standard as it is.

“There is no overwhelming emotion now that this is ending, but I’m sure the closer it’s going to come to Abu Dhabi and the last sessions, the last race together will be quite a thing because we had this wonderful partnership for such a long time.

“But having said that, Lewis is not going to disappear. Lewis is going to be on the grid next year with a Ferrari. We are not losing the person, we are just losing the driver. But we embark on a new future. We have an 18-year-old and a 27-year-old that are going to be our drivers. And that is super exciting.

“And at the same time, personally, we wish Lewis all the best and happiness. And maybe a car that’s not so fast. But nevertheless, it is a decision he took. And we’re OK with that.”

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