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Although furious after Sunday's Austrian grand prix, Toto Wolff said events at the Red Bull Ring will not affect the contract negotiations over a new deal for Nico Rosberg. Before Rosberg was penalised for running teammate Lewis Hamilton off the track in a last-lap incident that cost Mercedes a certain one-two, team boss Wolff had flagged a likely new multi-year deal for the German beyond 2016.
But Red Bull chief Christian Horner thinks the latest run-in between the warring silver-clad duo shows that the German squad's driver lineup may now be "untenable". Wolff agreed that yet another collision between the pair was "disrespectful" to the more than 1000 people who build Mercedes' cars. "It needs to end," he said. "It seems that talking doesn't bring us any further."
Wolff was referring to the spectre of team orders, telling German television Sky: "If they show they cannot understand how to race the car, we will have to think for them. Nothing has been decided but all possibilities are on the table."
But Wolff insisted that although Rosberg is yet to sign a new contract, Sunday's events will not affect the contract negotiations. "We all need to cool down a little and solve this before Silverstone," he said. "But what happened today has no influence in our long-term planning with Nico."
Wolff also told the Finnish broadcaster MTV: "I can say clearly that it will not affect the negotiations at all. Nico and the team are seeking a long-term solution. Every good relationship has its difficult moments and this is one of them," he added. (GMM)
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
C. Sainz jr
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Replies (2)
Login to replyianf1
Posts: 185
So if Mercedes introduce team orders, all that will happen is that they will collide at the start (Spain) or the lap before the golden lap number where they are not allowed to overtake after.
Or the drivers will ignore the order.
Either way, they might try to impose something, but it won't stick and one of the drivers will get fired.
Risk
Posts: 4
Or possibly both. If Mercedes-AMG maintains their edge in car performance an entirely new lineup may yet be possible. Hamilton, the caricature, was effective for only so long from a marketing standpoint. His abusive style on and off the track would only ever have made him a bad trend, growing more noisome over time. Not to mention the malcontents and ill-informed, low-life, chav fanbase he brought with him. Rosberg's intelligence and stature never seemed to serve him fully on-track. His marketing value wanes, albeit buoyed by his ability to promote himself and the brand in nearly six languages.
At some point it may make more sense for Mercedes-AMG to put forth a new driver team. Perhaps one newer driver and one former champion: Alonso - Wehrlein?