Fernando Alonso picked up the phone to call Toto Wolff when he heard that Mercedes w♎ould have a shock vacancy.

Mercedes bossꦬ Wolff has recounted the whispers leading up🔜 to Lewis Hamilton’s announcement that he would exit the team.

Hamilton will embark on a new journey wi🍨th Ferrari in 2025.

“I🐬 wasn’t shocked at all,” Wolff told about Hamilton visiting him to tell him the bad news.

“I knew thi﷽s was happening a few weeks earlier when I got a phone call from Carlos Sainz and his father.

“He said: ‘Something is cooking.’ I said: ‘Why wou༒ld that happen before the start of the season?’

“But t🌠hat same afternoon I received calls from a few other drivers that were close to Charles Leclerc. Fernando Alonso too.

“I thi❀nk it started from Leclerc knowing over the winter and then his closes🐽t allies hearing there was a seat free.

“I said to Susie: ‘This is happening without us officia💜lly knowing.’”

Wolff sent a message to Ferrari counterpart Fꦐred Vasseur, who is also a close friend, which went unanswered.

He chose not to confront Hamilton personally.

“I did not want t🐟o put him in a situationꦇ where he had to lie to me because at that stage the contract wasn’t signed,” Wolff said.

Hamilton will seek a record eighth F1🥂 championship with Ferrari in 2025.

Mercedes will 💃bring in rookie Kimi Antonelli, while George Russell will become their senior drive🧜r.

“There is an emotional side because we’ve been on this journe⛎y together,” Wolff said about Ham﷽ilton.

“The friendship will chan🌠𓄧ge, but not the depth of emotion. On the contrary. This will be a new friendship with Lewis.

“On the professional side, I always see benefits in🍎 change📖.

“We have new regulations, we have reshaped our organisation and we’re embarking on a new era with our senior driver turning 27 and the junior driverꦑ being 18.

“🃏We have two drivers barely older together than Lewis. That’s very exciting.”