Wolff: Hamilton wrong to say he was useless

Hamilton's statement was before the Formula 1 break, but it remains a hot topic, especially after he crashed out of the Dutch Grand Prix last Sunday on a weekend where he showed some improvement, running closer to Leclerc.

But Wolff, who was the Briton's boss at Mercedes when the latter won six F1 Championships, insists it was a moment of weakness that resulted in such statements from Hamilton, who also suggested at the time that Ferrari should replace him.

"I thought that was wrong to say that, and I told him that the same evening and again the next day," Wolff said in Zandvoort. "Because he's still the GOAT [greatest of all time].

"What I said is, 'Did you ever hear Michael Jordan say about himself that he's useless and that you change the player? No. You're wearing your heart on your sleeve', which is good, which is a fantastic character trait of his—that he speaks his emotion. And that makes him also the superstar he is. He has those emotions and doesn't hide.

"But that one, I felt, was just such a bad moment for him that he said that, because it's simply not true," the Austrian went on. "If he retires, he's still the GOAT.

"He's going to retire, and nobody is going to ever know that he was at Ferrari at the end. Who thinks about the Schumacher and Mercedes time? That isn't relevant for Schumacher's career," Wolff maintained.

With Hamilton declaring that he was targeting that elusive eighth F1 Crown with Ferrari, which doesn't seem possible given his current struggles with the Reds, Wolff insists his former star driver still has what it takes.

"If Ferrari was having the best car, I think, Lewis, with his experience of scoring all year long can win a world championship," Wolff said.

(Quotes from Motorsport.com)