But Wolff indicated, by referencing soccer clubs that sidelined top players in disciplinary cases, that he would be prepared to impose a race suspension even if that affected the team.
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“If the drivers crash three times in five races, that is not positive any more and is risking our main objective”, he said. “Such a manoeuvre can not happen any more”, said Wolff.
Mercedes, however, said in their statement: “If the drivers do not honour the revised rules of engagement, we may impose team orders as a solution of last resort”.
“It’s my personal opinion that Rosberg was desperately – and I mean the word desperately – trying to win the race in the very last stages, he knew he was in danger of being passed by Hamilton and he was determined to stop him, and he stopped him in the way he did by running wide, and it’s easy to say he shouldn’t have done that”. If team orders are imposed in the future he insists he will follow them.
In terms of sporting penalties, the only realistic serious threat the team have at their disposal would be to exclude a driver.
“They are wired in a certain way, and that’s exactly why they drive for Mercedes”, he continued.
“If you have a yellow card, will this change your way of tackling or not?” he asked. Everything that was said is private and confidential.
“Well it’s so easy to pontificate about who is right and who’s wrong when you’re sitting watching a television set and you’re not in the cockpit and it’s not your decision”, adds the 92-year-old, who also reveals that he still enjoys every single race weekend. In Spain, their first lap accident took both out of the race and was deemed a racing incident, while the opening corner in Canada resulted in Hamilton drifting into Rosberg and forcing him across the grass to plummet down the field. “So I will still race like that”. We all want to battle out there, and I also want to battle Lewis out there, as this is one of the best things that I love, and possibly beat him which would give me the biggest thrill. We’ve got to try our hardest to avoid it. “We have had a discussion about the best way to move forward and now we are going racing again”.
“The contract negotiations do not have an impact on those (rules)”, he said.
The title rivals were given the ultimatum in meetings with Wolff at the Mercedes F1 factory on Thursday.
Rosberg was given a ten-second time penalty after the stewards ruled that he hadn’t left Hamilton enough space as they battled for the lead in Austria.
Hamilton has made clear he is against team orders and is concerned at how such a decision would be seen by the fans at Silverstone, if he is not allowed to race Rosberg.
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Rosberg was penalised by race stewards after Sunday’s race, when it was judged that he had not given Hamilton “racing room” around turn two at the Red Bull Ring.
