Toto Wolff insists that he doesn't bear any kind of grudge towards Lewis Hamilton following the Briton's shock decision to switch to Ferrari.

Indeed, the Mercedes boss would like to see the Briton head to Maranello with an eighth title.

It's fair to say that the world of F1 was left in shock on Thursday when it was finally confirmed that Hamilton will join Ferrari in 2025 after spending his entire F1 career with a Mercedes engine powering him.

Having learned of the Briton's decision just a day earlier, Wolff was equally stunned by the seven-time world champion's decision.

"When he told me first, my next thought was pragmatic," said Wolff, who was told of Hamilton's decision over breakfast at the Austrian's Oxfordshire home. "What does it mean? When are we communicating this? What are the pressure points? How are we managing it this season going forward? And what is it we're going to do in terms of driver line-up? The team's mind kicked in.

"Now having slept a few nights on it, it means that our professional journey comes to an end, working together," he continued, "but it doesn't mean that our personal relationship ends. I've found a friend, we've built a relationship over the last ten years.

"He faced a very, very difficult situation, taking a decision of where to drive, maybe for the first time in ten years without being able to brainstorm with me. Therefore, I will always respect the difficulty of the situation that he faced. In the future, we will discuss whether this could have been done in a different way or not, but I hold no grudge.

"It doesn't hurt," he added, "because I need to keep calm and decide how we're going to best manage the 2024 season and what the decisions need to be going forward. It's not like someone that I like a lot is disappearing, it's just changing the team.

"We've been very conscious in signing the contract that it could happen," he admitted. "Maybe the timing was a surprise, but I've had many black swans swimming in front of me, the unexpected. And I think in F1 it's all about agility, being able to embrace change of circumstances."

As the sport sought to take in the news that Hamilton was leaving the team with which he won six of his titles, the big question was why.

Last season, the Briton criticised the team publicly on a number of occasions, clearly frustrated that it had persevered with the concept that had proved so wrong the previous season.

Another critic of the decision was the team's Head of Vehicle Performance, Loic Serra who had also expressed concern at the wheelbase the German team had opted for in 2022 and 2023 and who subsequently announced his decision to join Ferrari whilst technical boss Mike Elliott left mid-season leaving James Allison to return and pick up the pieces.

"When we signed the contract with Lewis, we opted for shorter term," said Wolff, referring to the contract announced in August. "So the events are not a surprise, maybe the timing.

"I cannot tell you exactly," said the Austrian, when asked what had changed in the meantime. "We were very aligned when we went into the Christmas period and I think we've said that in public and in the team. You need to ask Lewis why he changed his mind.

"How he framed it to me is perfectly understandable, that he needed a new challenge, that he was looking for a different environment, and that it was maybe the last possibility to do something else.

"We're big boys," he continued. "We knew that by signing a short-term contract it could be of benefit for both sides. We couldn't commit for a long period and he's taken the option to exit. We totally respect that you can change your mind, there's different circumstances. And switching for Ferrari maybe for the last bit of his career, maybe rolling the dice a little bit, I can follow that decision.

"Clearly the timing was surprising to us. But I guess what he tried to do is maybe to give us a long time to decide what we want to do next year going forward."

Asked if the shorter contract might have in some way forced Hamilton's hand, Wolff replied: "When we decided, Lewis and us, to go for a very short-term contract, we knew why we were doing it. And it was to leave him options open and at the same time, us.

"There's an exciting situation at the end of 2024 with some drivers becoming available. Others just signed a few weeks ago, so these ones would have been opportunities. So that timing, if it would have been six weeks earlier, there would have been more opportunities, but it is what it is.

"We have a year to go," he added, "we have 2024 together. We want to make it the most successful we can. Is it realistic that we are competing for a world championship against Max in a Red Bull? You know I'm a probability person, and the odds are against us. But nevertheless, we will give it our best shot."

Asked about that elusive eighth title, the Austrian said: "When we talked about giving it all for an eighth, that is Lewis in a Mercedes. Lewis in a different car is obviously a totally different story.

"We will be giving it everything we have to win drivers' and constructors' championships in the years to come in the same way as we want to win it in 2024, but maybe with another driver," he added. "But it doesn't take anything away from the historic legacy that will always exist. This journey together will be in the history books, as much as the next journey of a Mercedes driver will hopefully also be there.

"The friend side in me that says he should have an eighth because that was taken away from him. So if he wins that in 2024, that would be a great thing. Going forward, competing on track, I'd rather us win."