Analysis: Why Mercedes won't freak out over Hamilton/Rosberg rivalry
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff thinks it would be a mistake to try to control Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's relationship too much – despite the ongoing pain of their controversial Spanish Grand Prix collision.
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG F1 W07 Hybrid leads team mate Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W07 Hybrid at the start of the race
Mercedes AMG
With memories of the Barcelona clash still fresh in the team's memories, Wolff is well aware that the prospect of a tight title battle between his two men throws up the potential for more trouble in the future.
But reflecting on how best to try to ensure that the rivalry does not become destructive, Wolff believe it would be counterproductive to try to influence the pair too much to control things.
“The best battles in F1 have been among team-mates, like Senna/Prost, and Mansell/Piquet, so we accept that,” he said.
“And in 10, 20 or 30 years, when we open the magazines and books, the Rosberg/Hamilton battle will be one of those iconic rivalries between team-mates.
“F1 needs controversy on track and off track. And we don't want to be too controlling and too corporate in trying to smooth the waters for the public.
“Nobody wants to read a headline – 'best buddies Rosberg and Hamilton will try not to come close to each other for the sake of the brand'. You have to accept it that this is part of the sport.”
Old friends
Wolff thinks that Mercedes' confidence in being able to not over-control things is actually helped by the fact that Rosberg and Hamilton have known each other for so long.
The duo were teammates in karting and have grown up together; something which Wolff thinks allows Mercedes to let them sort things out themselves.
“There is one benefit I have, which is why I am ease at saying this: fundamentally they have a close relationship.
“They have known each other for 25 years. They were friends when they were kids. They had holidays together and they were go-karting in the same team.
“There is a mutual relationship of trust there, even if they arrive now as competitors, and sometimes they dislike each other.
“There is a solid base. And that solid base makes it a bit easier for us. Equally we don't need to overmanage.
“When we try to interfere too much in the relationship, we are interfering in a relationship that we understand much less than they do.
“They know each other inside out how they drive, how they behave, when Nico annoys Lewis and Lewis annoys Nico. They have had it for 20 years since go karting. So we just accept it.”
Lessons learned
Wolff says he has learned a lot from his experiences of dealing with Hamilton and Rosberg over recent seasons – and that makes him more comfortable when dealing with difficult situations.
He also says that the situation has been made easier by the fact the pressures on Mercedes have changed now that it has delivered world championship titles in the modern era.
“At the beginning, the team was under extreme pressure in winning races and finally locking a championship in,” he said.
“For the brand it was important to write the story from the 1950's onwards and we have done it twice in a row. So probably we have a more calm approach now than we had back then.
“I have matured and learned much more around how to handle these tricky situations. We have been with the drivers for quite a while, a couple of years, we know each other quite well and I know neither would risk a team result.
“It just happened when you race each other closely. We had a freak incident that was triggered by a couple of events – Nico choosing the wrong engine mode and lacking 160bhp, trying to close the door quickly, not realising how fast the other one was approaching, the other one not realising that Nico had a problem, and committing to one side where he couldn't move himself out any more.
“It ended up in a shunt that they feel miserable about it, and that is why we discussed it and it is over.”
No repeat?
It is why Wolff feels comfortable that although there are ongoing tensions between the drivers, they are not enough for it to be any concern for his team.
When asked if he could rule out a repeat of the Spanish GP incident, he said: “I hope not this year! I am still having a bit of a trauma with it.
“It shouldn't be happening again this year. Losing 43 points - you cannot expect that, you cannot afford it to happen twice a year. They know that pretty well.
“There might be freak conditions again where afterwards we say that was not expected, but I think we deposited the message and it was very clear it cannot happen again. They know that.”
Additional reporting by Rene Fagnan
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