Wolff backtracks on ‘no team orders’ stance
Mercedes director Toto Wolff has backtracked on claims Mercedes won’t employ team orders should Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg find themselves battling for position. The pair were allowed to fight in Bahrain, with Hamilton eventually coming out on top, which prompted Wolff to claim that Mercedes would allow the pair to fight throughout the season. However, in an interview with the BBC, Wolff says that stance may change should they find themselves in a less dominant position than present. “There might be situations where you can’t lose lots of time in battle if you have your enemy right up your back,” he said. “The narrower the margin gets [between rivals], the more you have to look out. “Our rule is that the competition is enemy number one, not your team-mate, so there might be situations in the race where you have to consider that, but we will see what happens.” Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda however remains against the idea of team orders and made that clear last weekend during the Chinese GP. “They are racing drivers. Leave them alone, unless they hit. Which they won’t.”
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