Wolff: Mercedes won't have repeat of Rosberg-Hamilton rivalry
F1 News
- Jake Williams-Smith
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has insisted the team will not have a repeat of the toxic relationship it endured between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
The former life-long friends grew further and further apart in their time together at Mercedes due to the pressures and gamesmanship of fighting for a world championship within the same team.
In 2019, it appears as though the Silver Arrows could have a similar situation on their hands as Valtteri Bottas looks to be ready to challenge Hamilton for the 2019 crown.
Wolff, however, insists that history will not repeat itself even if both his drivers are the ones fighting each other for the world championship.
“You have two drivers that have the ambition and the ability to win a championship,” Wolff told Formula1.com.
“It’s up to us together with them to be very aware of that situation and remember that very quickly Vettel or [Charles] Leclerc could be back into the game, that we mustn’t be carried away with the four first results — there are 21 races to do.
“That definitely the relationship matters in order to avoid what we went through between Nico and Lewis. I think we are lucky that they [Hamilton and Bottas] have a very good relationship. They get on with each other.
“There is not a lot of games in the background, and I am very happy about that. But as a matter of fact you have to be conscious. We have seen a relationship deteriorate.
“Both of the drivers have an ambition to win the championship. We want them to be feisty — is that how you say it? — in the car. Lions in the car, so you can’t expect the behaviour of a sheep. But equally the respect needs to stay in there.
“We are very strong as a team and we wouldn’t allow a relationship between drivers to deteriorate to a point that it has a negative effect on the team if that would ever be the case. after Nico and Lewis, we will ensure we would issue yellow and red cards. But we are far, we are not there.”