Mercedes ready to change driver duo in case of new incident
Toto Wolff addressed the situation at Mercedes before the Italian Grand Prix of F1 by issuing his drivers a sort of ultimatum: in case of a new collision, a change in the line-up cannot be excluded.
During the release of the Mercedes press statement announcing the sanction against Nico Rosberg following the collision at the Belgian GP with Lewis Hamilton, the German team indicated that it would not tolerate any further incidents of this kind. The team manager sought to clarify the terms of the ultimatum.
When interviewed by the BBC in Monza, Toto Wolff, the executive director of Mercedes AMG F1, made sure to clarify things, stating notably that if a new situation like the one at Spa arose, the question of renewing the current line-up would be considered: « We would make decisions and face the consequences of having a different duo. If we are not able to manage both while following the spirit of Mercedes-Benz, then we will have to admit it.
This statement comes several weeks after Nico Rosberg extended his contract with the star brand and a few days after the announcement of the postponement of negotiations for Lewis Hamilton’s contract extension at the end of the season. The German, deemed responsible for the incident in Belgium, has been issuing public apologies for several days, reiterating his statements at a press conference this Thursday.
T. Wolff refused to provide details of the sanction – presumably financial – imposed on the championship leader: « When you manage a team, it’s very important to keep it balanced. I would like the sanctions we have taken to remain internal because it is not fair to the driver to discuss it publicly. »
The Austrian firmly reaffirms the desire for the race between its two drivers on the track to be as fair and sporting as possible: « We have clearly stated that this is an unacceptable scenario for us, for both of them. We do not want it to happen again. »
As a reminder, Nico Rosberg is at the top of the drivers’ standings with 220 points, 29 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton. This normally equates to a win (25 pts) and an eighth position (4 pts), however, the last race of the season will see double points awarded. Therefore, there is a maximum of 200 points still up for grabs in the remaining seven races.
