Mercedes threatened to review their policy of allowing their drivers to race each other freely after Formula One leader Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton collided at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff told reporters when asked whether the dominant team might change their tactics.
“It would be too early to elaborate in detail because the devil lies in the detail. We are all fans and we owe it to ourselves and everybody out there to let them race,” he said.
“Today that philosophy has ended in Mercedes losing many valuable points, and we don’t want to end up in Abu Dhabi with a season where we lost the championship, be it constructors’ or drivers’, because we were too much race fans,” he said.
Hitherto the team have been clear in allowing their drivers to race each other, accepting that it is in the interests of the sport to provide exciting races and to avoid the sort of processions seen in the past when one team is dominant.
However, they have been shaken by Red Bull winning the past two races and looking more competitive than expected at a long and fast track that should have favored the Mercedes hybrid power unit.
The collision, which led to Hamilton retiring with a damaged car as Rosberg finishing second to take his overall lead to 29 points with seven races remaining, left Mercedes fighting fires on two fronts.
“Now we are at the point which we always discussed, no?” Wolff said. “Is it going to happen or not? An accident waiting to happen — it’s unacceptable.
“Racing accidents can happen, racing accidents among teammates shouldn’t happen,” he added. “Racing accidents among teammates on lap No. 2 of a 44-lap race with a dominant car should be a no-no-no. It’s exactly that point which we hoped we would never reach.”
Hamilton, in comments immediately after the race, doubted that Rosberg would receive any real sanction, but that could also force their hand.
“It reminds me of when I was at school, the teachers will say something, but they won’t do anything. The stewards didn’t do anything ... so I am just going to have to push like hell,” the 2008 champion said.
Wolff indicated in response that Rosberg could not expect to get off lightly.
“If Lewis has said that it’s going to be a slap on the wrist, and that there’s going to be no consequence, then he’s not aware of what consequences we can implement,” he said. “Today we’ve seen the limits of the slap on the wrist. Maybe the slap on the wrist is not enough.”
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