Lewis Hamilton doesn’t want team instructions

The last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix last Sunday was epic and marked by a new collision between the two Mercedes drivers, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

The outcome of this incident was less dramatic than in Barcelona, where both drivers were forced to retire on the first lap. However, it is starting to be a considerable concern for the Mercedes management, with Toto Wolff at the forefront, who might consider imposing orders on their drivers: « It seems that talking doesn’t help, so we must consider all possible solutions, possibly the unpopular team orders. We will discuss it because it might be the only way to manage the situation. I hate team orders; we owe it to the fans to let them race, but if it ends in collisions every time, that’s not what we want. » the Austrian noted after the race.

On his part, Lewis Hamilton is not inclined to accept this way of working: « I grew up wanting to race, as best I could, being the best, and beating others. »

The Briton even remembers the Ferrari era when Michael Schumacher greatly benefited from team orders against his teammates: « I rewatched an action between Michael and Barrichello a few years ago, and as a fan, I was so disappointed to see that at the time. We don’t want that kind of team orders to reappear. »

But so far, Mercedes has always let their two drivers race against each other. A situation Hamilton appreciates and which should continue according to him: « What’s great is that Toto [Wolff] and Niki [Lauda] have always let us race over these last three years. That’s the very essence of racing. It’s not always perfect, but that’s motorsport. We drive at over 300 km/h, and you think we’re never going to have problems fighting each other? I doubt it! So I hope that doesn’t change and that we can continue to fight. »