Wolff on Hamilton's future: 'Lewis and I are disillusioned – but I hope he continues'

Essentially the decision to withdraw was a response to the previous evening’s announcement from the FIA to the effect that a commission was being set up to properly investigate the events in Abu Dhabi.

Shortly after the withdrawal of the appeal was confirmed Mercedes boss Toto Wolff spoke to the media, revealing for the first time since the race his own thoughts and those of the team.

And crucially he also gave us an insight into where Hamilton’s head is at after having a few days to process what happened last weekend.

He made it crystal clear that Hamilton, who has always been a stickler for ethics and honourable behaviour in racing both on and off track, had taken Sunday night’s events hard.

“Lewis and I are disillusioned at the moment,” said Wolff. “We are not disillusioned with the sport – we love the sport with every bone in our bodies. And we love it because the stopwatch never lies.

“But if we break that fundamental principle of sporting fairness, and authenticity of the sport, then suddenly the stopwatch doesn’t become relevant anymore, because we are exposed to random decision making, then it’s clear that you may fall out of love with [the sport.]

“You start to question if all the work you have been putting in, all the sweat, tears and blood, can actually be demonstrated in terms of bringing the best possible performances on track. Because it can be taken away randomly.

“So it is going to take a long time for us to digest what has happened on Sunday. I don’t think we will ever get over it. That is not possible. And certainly not [for Lewis] as a driver.

“I would very much hope that the two of us and the rest of the team can work through the events, we can together with the FIA and F1 utilise the situation to improve the sport going forward. But we will never overcome the pain and the distress that was caused on Sunday.”

For the first time Wolff provided an insight into the specific frustrations of Hamilton and the team: “To be honest I still today I can’t even understand what was happening. I’m in disbelief, and for me it still feels surreal.

“And when I re-think the situation that at 18:27 the right decision was being taken, that no cars will unlap themselves, and then four minutes later out of nowhere suddenly five cars were allowed to unlap themselves between Lewis and Max, and 10 seconds later the decision was taken that the safety car would come in this lap with handful of laps left, for me that still seems like a nightmare.

“And I just need to do the utmost that I can to help him to overcome these imminent feelings that he has, in order for him to return stronger, or to return strong, with a love of the sport and a trust in the decision-making of the sport next year. We wish very much that this would be the case.”

To no one’s surprise Hamilton opted to skip Thursday evening’s FIA prize giving in Paris, which is usually compulsory for the top three finishers in the championship, albeit something of a chore for those who finish second and third.

“No, both of us won’t be there,” said Wolff. “And I won’t be there because of my loyalty to Lewis, and because of my own personal integrity.

“But we will be represented as a team by James Alison, who will be taking the trophy on behalf of all the people in Brackley and Brixworth, who should celebrate our eighth consecutive World Championship title, who deserve to be celebrated, because it’s a fantastic achievement that we are very proud of.

“And in a way I’m trying to compartmentalise the anger on the outcome of the F1 drivers’ World Championship, and on the other side the pride and the joy of having achieved something unprecedented. And that needs to be celebrated.”

Wolff wasn’t asked if Mercedes as a brand had questioned its involvement in the sport. CEO Ole Kallenius was in the middle of the action in the team offices in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, and he backed the decision to protest, and he clearly won’t have enjoyed the way things panned out.

Now the FIA has to provide some answers not just on what happened last weekend, but how things can be improved.

“I expect the commission to not only come up with words, but with actions,” said Wolff. “And we will hold them accountable for the actions.

“Because we cannot continue in a sport that is meant to be sport followed by entertainment, and not the other way around, [and where] we are held ransom by ad hoc decisions in every field – in technical and sporting.

“And therefore there needs to be clear measures in place before the start of the season, so that every driver, every team and the fans understand what it is on, and what is not on.

“The FIA needs to decide how they are going forward. We had a good dialogue with the FIA over the last few days. The commission that it has set in place I have trust and faith that we will formulate, together with all of our competitors and the drivers and the other teams the right decisions and actions to avoid such a scenario in the future.