Lewis Hamilton’s announcement that he would be joining Ferrari for the 2025 season came as a major shock to the Formula 1 world and especially to his longtime team, Mercedes.

Ahead of the current season, Hamilton made the decision to activate a break clause in his contract with Mercedes, choosing to end his 12-year-long stint with the team.

The Briton told Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff about his decision during his annual pre-season visit to Wolff’s home, marking the end of a remarkable era together. However, Wolff has revealed that had already begun to sense that something was up before Hamilton’s visit.

In fact, it was Carlos Sainz Sr., the father of Carlos Sainz Jr., who first hinted to Wolff that Hamilton was talking with Ferrari. Paradoxically, it will be Sainz, who will lose his seat to Hamilton and had to opt for mid-field Williams to stay in F1 next year.

Although Wolff didn’t have official confirmation, Sainz Sr.’s tip and some subtle signs gave Wolff a feeling that Hamilton might be planning to leave.

"So I heard the bells ringing two weeks before," said the German in High Performance podcast.

"Yeah, the old man Sainz called me and said, this is what's happening.

"And then there were a few drivers' dads rang me up that didn't before. So I thought, Okay…there's something going on there.

"And then I sent a text to [Ferrari boss] Fred Vasseur saying: 'You're taking our driver?' Didn't get any response. Very unusual for Fred. He's a good friend. So yeah, I saw it coming."

Sensing Hamilton's intentions for the visit, Wolff shared that he added a twist to their conversation by first telling the seven-time champion that Mercedes had signed former Ferrari chief designer Simone Resta.

"When Lewis arrived in the house, like he did so many years before, we had a bit of a small talk, like we always do about the Christmas holidays and all of that.

"Then I said, ‘Well, we're recruiting from Ferrari now. We got this guy.’ And Lewis was, ‘Oh, there's something I need to tell you.’ And yeah, when he said that, that initial moment was a little bit of... so this is really happening?"

Wolff concluded by saying that he’s faced tougher situations in his life, but admitted that his main concern when the rumors were confirmed was managing Mercedes' various sponsors and finding a suitable replacement for Hamilton, opting in the end for young star Andrea Kimi Antonelli.