Toto Wolff’s Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian verdict speaks volumes | F1 | Sport

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has suggested that new girlfriend Kim Kardashian may have played a role after Lewis Hamilton stormed to victory in Sunday’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion declared his pursuit of a record-breaking eighth title as firmly on track after securing a maiden race win for Ferrari since switching to the legendary Italian team in 2025.

The triumph represented Ferrari’s first since Mexico in October 2024 and saw Hamilton, 41, become the oldest Formula One race victor since 1970. The iconic British driver took advantage of a well-timed Virtual Safety Car (VSC) and the retirement of championship leader Kimi Antonelli to seize command of proceedings, ultimately finishing more than 20 seconds clear of former Mercedes colleague George Russell in second.

Russell had begun the race from pole position and looked poised to extend the German outfit’s dominance of Grand Prix wins throughout this season. However, the retirement of home favourite Fernando Alonso enabled Hamilton – who was pursuing an alternative strategy – to emerge from a swift pit stop in first place before stretching away to emphatically claim a 106th career Grand Prix victory.

Billionaire team principal Wolff knows Hamilton better than most, having guided six of his seven championships during a remarkably successful period together at Mercedes. When questioned following the race to clarify Hamilton’s revival after a difficult maiden campaign at Maranello, Wolff highlighted the Briton’s tireless work ethic and the influence of this season’s new regulations.

“Hard work,” Wolff said. “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. And this is back to more conventional driving in terms of 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.” Wolff then indicated that Hamilton’s private life may have contributed, including his relationship with American reality television personality Kardashian. “I saw him on the podium, on the telly. I mean, that face shows me that he’s very happy,” Wolf said.

“Maybe the girlfriend helps. Helped me to have a partner that 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 and the personal and professional perspective. If they are in a good place, you win.”

The couple began dating earlier this year and made their debut public appearance together at this month’s Monaco Grand Prix.