Plooij does not value denials Wolff: "It can be done just like that, absolutely"

"It surprised me very much. I'm in good contact with Toto, but he never told me anything about it", says Plooij in conversation with GPBlog. The motorsport reporter knows that a departure of a top Formula 1 man is often due to disagreement within the team. "It may well be that Toto has also had a fights within Mercedes. To my knowledge Ocon's departure didn't quite turn out the way it should have."

Does Wolff want to change course?

After all, the future of Mercedes can be such an important point of discussion. It heavily depends on what course Daimler, as parent company of Mercedes, wants to take? "It may well be that they want to go left and that Toto prefers to go right. Or that a lot of their budget suddenly goes to Formula E. If Mercedes can't give him the guarantee to participate in Formula 1 for the next ten years, he might draw up his own plan. If (Lawrence) Stroll is your friend and you get a business opportunity there and the pockets are awfully deep, then the temptation could be very big", Plooij said.

Last week, Wolff denied in every way being the new CEO of Aston Martin. However, according to Plooij, we don't need to take that with a grain of salt. "Maybe the question should be: 'Are you going to Aston Martin for 300 million?" Toto answers with a no, but maybe it's for 200 million". Plooij doesn't want to rule out Racing Point completely. "It can be done just like that, absolutely. I understand they are building huge factories at Racing Point right now. It's going on."

Consequences for Lance Stroll

Stroll sr. paid a lot of money for Aston Martin, but due to the extremely low share price of the British car brand, it's actually a smart investment. "Buying Aston Martin is nothing, because things are not going well there at all. That's really dramatic. It's about the image that Stroll wants to build for the team, because there is no money from Aston Martin. His pocketsa are deep, which means there will be a lot of resources available." And possibly a switch from Wolff to Racing Point/Aston Martin also has consequences for son Lance Stroll. "That would be my final conclusion, if that happens, it will be the end of Lance's career."

For Mercedes, Wolff's departure will also have the extreme consequences. "He's very important. I think he's the lubricant between all the parts at Mercedes," said Plooij, who would therefore describe the future of Hamilton at Mercedes as uncertain. "I'm sure Toto will personally make sure Hamilton stays on board. Let's describe it this way: He talks a lot with Lewis and he knows that the champ has special wishes. Toto understands that and I think he has a vital role to play in the continued success of Hamilton and Mercedes. If he leaves Mercedes, then they will have a problem."

Mercedes has to be careful

What's also possible is that not only Wolff is leaving for Aston Martin, but also the top personel with him and maybe even mechanics. "There may be agreements about that. Lawrence also thinks, this is perfect". But Plooij knows that it can also fall in the wrong direction. "Look at Williams with Paddy Lowe. He left Mercedes and people thought that Williams would get a fantastic car, but that went perfectly wrong." At the beginning of 2017 Lowe moved to Williams, but there he was suspended in March 2019.