LONDON:
The Mercedes Formula One team disciplined Nico Rosberg on Friday after he accepted ‘responsibility’ for a crash with teammate Lewis Hamilton at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The action was announced after a clear-the-air encounter between the archrival teammates at the boardroom of the Mercedes racing headquarters in Brackley, near London.
“During this meeting, Rosberg acknowledged his responsibility for the contact that occurred on lap two of the Belgian Grand Prix and apologised for this error of judgement,” said a statement.
“Suitable disciplinary measures have been taken for the incident.”
Rosberg clipped Hamilton’s car on lap two of Sunday’s race. The Briton suffered a puncture which effectively ended his chances of winning. He retired before the end and is now 29 points behind Rosberg with seven races to go.
Mercedes did not say what action it has taken, but it did say both would remain in contention for the 2014 world title.
“Mercedes-Benz remains committed to hard, fair racing because this is the right way to win world championships. It is good for the team, for the fans and for Formula One,” read the statement.
“Hamilton and Rosberg understand and accept the team’s number one rule: there must be no contact between the team’s cars on track.
“They remain free to race for the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship.”
Mercedes are worried that the Hamilton-Rosberg rivalry could boil over and cost them the constructor and drivers’ titles.
Wolff has already said that Mercedes would re-introduce strict team orders to avoid any repeat incidents that gift victories to their rivals.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 30th, 2014.
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ