Team principal Toto Wolff on the World Championship duel between the Mercedes aces: “I won’t let that happen”

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg proved during their time together at Mercedes that an internal team battle for the World Championship can turn friends into enemies. Particularly during the 2016 season, in which Rosberg ultimately came out on top, the two team-mates battled each other to the limit – and sometimes even beyond.

One person who had to watch it all unfold from the front row was team principal Toto Wolff. The Viennese manager left no stone unturned in his efforts to steer his protégés’ rivalry back onto an orderly course. With limited success, as the pair came too close for comfort on more than one occasion. And the bitter battle for the World Championship title did not have a positive effect on the team.

That is why Wolff is determined to avoid a similar situation arising this year between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell at all costs. The Italian leads the World Championship by a comfortable margin; his closest challenger is his predecessor, Lewis Hamilton, who is now chasing points for Ferrari. The seven-time world champion trails the teenager at the top by 50 points. Russell follows in third place in the championship, 59 points behind his team-mate.

Driver swap not ruled out

The pair have engaged in a number of close wheel-to-wheel battles so far, but have not made any major mistakes. When asked by colleagues at “RacingNews365.com” whether he feared a repeat of the scenes from the Hamilton and Rosberg championship battle, Wolff gave a clear answer: “I won’t allow that to happen.”

“I won’t let something like that happen again. It will never happen to the team again. It’s as simple as that. If I have to, I’ll replace a driver,” the 54-year-old Austrian made clear. He is confident that Russell can return to his former form. “In Montreal, he was leading the race before he retired. That would have secured him another victory and would also have put him in a better mental state for the subsequent races.”

“To be fair, it must also be said that we had a problem with the power unit in his car, which we didn’t spot for a long time. That cost him at least two tenths. And, of course, the pressure on George was also immense, as he was initially regarded as the clear favourite. Kimi hadn’t scored points in any of his races last year, but this season he’s been very good. And suddenly expectations change, and you find yourself playing catch-up. But if there’s one driver who can handle that, it’s George, because he’s a tough guy. The best drivers can turn things around, which is why I have no doubt that he can do it,” emphasises Wolff, referring to the Briton.