Mercedes will not end Hamilton-Rosberg rivalry, says Wolff

Team boss believes that healthy competition is sacred to the sport

PARIS: Mercedes will not try to halt the fierce rivalry between Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton and teammate Nico Rosberg, said team boss Toto Wolff.

According to the Mercedes boss, the feud that came to a head when Rosberg drove into Hamilton on the second lap of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps last August was good for Formula One.

But the British and German rivals must not cross the line of what is acceptable again.

"We are not going to change our approach in terms of philosophy on how to let the drivers race. Even if it is not always easy,” said Wolff. "For us, for our brand, for Formula One, it was important to let them fight, one against the other."

Wolff said Mercedes had understood going into the Belgian race that the rivalry was reaching a peak. He indicated that the team felt there had to be some kind of confrontation to clear the air.

"If you have no emotion in this sport, if you stay rational all the time, you lose a lot and the sport loses a lot and the way we run the team is with emotion,” he added.

A storm erupted when Hamilton, who retired before the end, said after the Spa race that Rosberg had told him the crash had been deliberate.

Wolff said at the time that the rivalry had reached "an unacceptable level of risk" and that it was costing Mercedes points and Rosberg was punished but the team never announced what sanctions were taken.

 
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