Is his girlfriend helping? Toto Wolff: What’s making Lewis Hamilton so strong right now

Lewis Hamilton had to wait almost two years for his 106th Grand Prix victory (his 105th was at Spa in 2024 with Mercedes). In his 31st Grand Prix for Ferrari, he finally secured his first victory in red. The whole of Formula 1 was delighted for the seven-time world champion, including his former team principal at Mercedes, Toto Wolff.

The Austrian commented on what finally brought the long-awaited success in Hamilton’s second season with Ferrari: “Hard work. And this year’s car seems to be different from the previous era, with the bouncing and the stiff handling that affected the feel. The cars are now returning more to a conventional driving style, at least when you look at the aerodynamics and dynamics of the car.” This does not apply to the new engine regulations with their heavy emphasis on energy management, hence Wolff’s qualification. But the 2026 chassis seems to suit Hamilton better than the cars from the ground-effect era (2022–2025).

The chemistry is right!

Wolff also says: “The chemistry within the team between him and his race engineer seems to be good. I saw him on the podium on the telly.” The TV footage from the World Feed is also being shown in the team hospitality areas at the circuit. Wolff: “His facial expression tells me he’s very happy.” And with a wink, Wolff adds: “Perhaps his girlfriend helps too.” Hamilton had been accompanied by reality TV star Kim Kardashian in Monaco the previous week.

Reality-TV-Star Kim Kardashian feuerte Lewis Hamilton in Monaco an

Foto: XPB

Partnership and family can help

Wolff explained: “It’s helped me to have a partner with whom I can lead a stable family life.” He is referring to his wife Susie, a former racing driver and currently head of the F1 Academy junior series. Their son Jack competes in karting. A proper motorsport family, then. Wolff on Hamilton and his new partner: “And the two of them seem to get on really well. I think it’s all these factors combined that make up the emotional, personal and professional aspects. If things are going well in these areas, you win.” Indeed, Hamilton has been racking up successes since he started appearing in public with Kardashian. However, Ferrari has also introduced upgrades at the same time that have noticeably improved the car.

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Hamilton is putting pressure on Mercedes

With his victory in Barcelona, Hamilton has ramped up the pressure on Mercedes! Back in Monaco (where Russell fell back amid penalty chaos and failed to score any points), the former Mercedes driver overtook his ex-team-mate George Russell. With his victory ahead of Russell (2nd), Hamilton extended his lead. Hamilton now sits between the two Mercedes drivers in the Drivers’ Championship, behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli and ahead of Russell.

Wolff on his former protégé, who is now suddenly his rival: “I’d rather not be fighting him for the title, because I know what he’s capable of. When he smells blood, he goes for it. I’ve seen this for many years now: suddenly the Lewis Hamilton train gets rolling, and then it’s very hard to stop him.” With two second-place finishes and a victory in his last three races, the train is currently well and truly on the move.