Wolff: Rosberg and Hamilton, “two teenagers trying to discover their limits”
War has been declared in Brackley between the two Mercedes drivers. However, the Mercedes boss believes they are two teenagers trying to push the limits in an attempt to grab the number 1 driver status.
Within the Mercedes team, until now, there was a cordial rivalry between the two drivers. In Monaco, war seems to have erupted following the incident with Nico Rosberg during qualifying. But while Toto Wolff believes that Nico Rosberg’s gesture was not intentional, he hopes that the rivalry between his drivers will remain cordial: “We started the season with an expectation of a cordial relationship between the two drivers. It’s a normal process that we reevaluate before every weekend, during the race weekend, and the post-race weekend. Sometimes I say this with an authoritative voice, these are two teenagers trying to discover their limits,” expressed the Mercedes executive to ESPN.
Wolff also stated that Mercedes has been a bit lax on team orders, preferring to let both drivers challenge each other on track. He also commented on the harmony within his team: « I think we are lucky to have two excellent drivers who have not yet crossed the boundaries that have been set. They have known each other for so long. We can see in other teams that it is very complicated to manage egos. We are simply fortunate to have a car that allows them to compete for top positions. »
When asked about the hierarchy of drivers, Wolff admits that the season will be long but fears that a driver may feel mistreated: « In the long term, I think a driver will stand out but it will have repercussions in their working relationship. »
Reflecting on the incident in Monaco, the Mercedes leader holds two different versions: « Everyone has their own perception. Regarding Lewis, there is a deliberate mistake on Nico’s part. Nico, on the other hand, considers himself as pure as the driven snow. When we discussed it with them after the qualification, we tried to explain that maybe the truth and reality are somewhat separate in this field. That’s why what happened, happened. If it was done on purpose, it might have been for revenge. If that was his intention, then he did it very cleverly. But I don’t believe it was done deliberately. Nico has his character, he acts with integrity and I am therefore 110% sure he didn’t do it on purpose, even if some might disagree. »
