Row between Ferrari team-mates: Déjà vu for Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff

No sooner had the lights gone out at the start in Mexico than things got heated between the two Ferrari team-mates, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver, who had got off to a flying start, attacked the pole-sitter from his own team in the fourth corner and didn’t let up. Both went off the track and Leclerc received a 5-second time penalty for his manoeuvre.

The tussle between the two team-mates allowed Max Verstappen to snatch victory, whilst Hamilton had to settle for second place and Leclerc finished fourth. Team principal Fred Vasseur was fuming and didn’t mince his words. A few days later, in the Interlagos paddock, he had to field numerous questions about the internal team row.

Wolff: Respect for the team is key

This brought back memories for Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who had joined Vasseur at the FIA team principals’ press conference. He explained: “Fred doesn’t need any advice from me, but it feels like déjà vu to me. I was asked exactly the same questions between 2013 and 2016, right up until Nico Rosberg retired. It went on like that for four years – exactly the same situation. When you put two of the best drivers in a team – well, they’ve got their rough edges. They want to win, and it’s always a difficult situation, especially when you’re leading the field and attracting all the media attention.”

“That’s why I can really empathise with how Fred must be feeling now. And sometimes it takes really tough situations like this to send a clear message. When I was in that situation with Nico and Lewis, it was clear that things couldn’t carry on like that if an accident were to happen. That’s why it perhaps had to escalate to this point first, because it’s about respect for the team, the brand and the many thousands of people who all work together – and they must always bear that in mind,” added the Viennese.

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