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Toto Wolff has backed Lewis Hamilton after a controversial weekend in Japan.
The three-time world champion was seen on Snapchat during a press conference, the backlash of which caused him to storm out of a later press briefing.
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He then branded someone on his team an "idiot" after they opted to lodge an appeal against Max Verstappen's driving, only to withdraw the complaint later.
But Mercedes boss Wolff has backed his driver, saying that his performances on track make what happens off track worth it.
"Let him do his talking on the track," he said. "His performances in the car justify some collateral damage."
Despite falling further behind team mate Nico Rosberg in the title race, Wolff has denied that Hamilton is facing "meltdown".
"In Malaysia, Lewis dominated the weekend but then there was the engine failure which was not easy to cope with," he said. "Then there were all these events related to the (Thursday) press conference, but I don't think that affected him at the start. After that, he had a great race."
Wolff has tipped Hamilton to bounce back, and rather than reprimand him for his actions off-track in Japan, Wolff is willing to let the situation calm down.
"After such a race, it is not the right moment to really put the finger where it hurts," said Wolff. "In my experience of the last few years, the situation often looks completely different after 24 hours."
"Our main goal is to help Lewis, but there are ten days until Austin so there is no need to hurry - unlike last week," he added. "At the same time, it is true that Lewis works best under pressure and when he has a target, so I have no doubt it will be a tough fight until the very end."
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