After Nico Rosberg extended his lead at the top of the Championship to thirty-three points over his Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team team-mate Lewis Hamilton with victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, the Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, Toto Wolff, has told Autosport that he will continue to allow the two drivers to race each other in the final four races.
“We have never had any team orders which are not popular with fans, and it’s not what we want either,” said Wolff. “So there will be no change, they are free to race.”
Wolff will allow both drivers to race because it is a good spectacle for the fans and for the sport. Hamilton has an uphill task of overhauling his team-mate but allowing them to race will give him every opportunity.
“If we started to tweak certain details it would open up a can of worms,” added Wolff. “We have worked on the principle [of letting them race] for three years and it functions well. Thirty-three points is a lot, but you saw in Malaysia how quickly it can go [with Hamilton’s engine blowing up when leading].
“If you retire and the other guy wins it’s 25 points lost, and that would mean the gap is down to eight. Lewis functions best when he is under pressure and he has a target. I have no doubt this will be an intense fight to the end.”
