After the 2016 Formula 1 season came to a close, Lewis Hamilton joined Toto Wolff in the Mercedes boss’ kitchen with an eye to discussing the championship that got away.

In a recent episode of Beyond the Grid, Wolff has finally spoken in depth about the conversation, as well as how it transformed his relationship with Lewis Hamilton.

Toto Wolff on what makes Lewis Hamilton “the greatest of all time”

In 2016, Lewis Hamilton’s brilliant streak of dominance at Mercedes came to an end. That year, teammate Nico Rosberg was able to mount a challenge against him that culminated in Rosberg’s single championship — and his retirement.

But for Hamilton, it was also an opportunity to reckon with his Mercedes team, and where he aimed to go in the future.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff recently joined the Beyond the Grid podcast to discuss his evolving relationship with Hamilton, as well as how that 2016 conversation in his kitchen transpired.

Wolff took an opportunity to reflect on the relationship, saying, “It was very nice, because [Hamilton and I] were basically thrown into this project in 2013, both of us new. And generally, we started to like each other, respect each other.

“And then after 2016, when we really had time to discuss the year, and then obviously the outcome, this is the moment where we kind of grew really close together.”

However, the two men didn’t always find it straightforward to work together.

“But like in any relationship, even with your brother, you father, your friend, there’s bumps in the road when you disagree because you have different perceptions or perspectives,” Wolff said.

“But we always overcome that. We always talk, you know, like it’s in a really good relationship, there’s nothing you drag on that you do not tackle.

“And that’s what we have done, and the last few years — I mean, some of my best moments on-track and off-track were with Lewis.”

Given an opportunity to reflect further on that 2016 kitchen chat with Hamilton, Wolff admitted that “the end of the year was really not good.

“He was leading the race in Malaysia, had an engine failure, catastrophic, and that would have given him enough points to win the championship.”

Heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi that year, Nico Rosberg led Hamilton by 12 points. To continue his winning streak, Hamilton would have had to win the race, with his teammate finishing fourth or lower.

Wolff admitted that the team “tried to over-manage the situation in Abu Dhabi.

“The championship was pretty much resolved, and rather than leaving the two out there to race each other, and even if that meant bunching into the traffic, we tried to make it super correct.

“And he was upset about that.”

The moment gave Hamilton and Wolff a chance to “reflect” on a season that had ended in disappointment for Hamilton, despite the fact that the team took home both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships.

Wolff said he and Hamilton “spent, I don’t know, many, many hours together discussing the situation.

“And I said to him, do you want to continue with Mercedes? And he said yes.

“I said, ‘Well, I couldn’t imagine anybody else having you in the car. So if we decide here that this is a mutual wish of ours, we need to sort it out.’

“And I think we left that afternoon with a solid bond that then grew from strength to strength.”

Hamilton recovered from that contentious 2016 season by going on to win four consecutive championships with Mercedes.

That’s part of what makes him “exceptional,” Wolff says.

“He’s getting stronger and stronger every day, every year. He is someone that is a constant development journey — very self-critical — that makes him faster on track, and makes him more mature as a personality.

“That’s what makes him the greatest of all time.”