Mercedes will no longer employ team orders during a race following the Hungarian Grand Prix debacle which saw Lewis Hamilton refuse to let Nico Rosberg past despite being ordered to do so.
The situation created further tension between the pair, but with Niki Lauda backing Hamilton’s choice not to follow instruction, the team will change how it handles such situations in the future considering its points advantage in the constructors’ championship.
“This is one of the thoughts we are having,” Wolff said when asked if Mercedes would let them race freely in future.
“At the moment, we have a 170-point advantage in the constructors’ championship and maybe it is a moment of loosening it a bit, in agreement with both of them.”
Wolff is due to hold talks with the pair over the summer break and, with the battle between the pair heating up, reckons the only approach Mercedes can take is to let them fight it out on track.
“The longer the season goes, the more intense it gets, and the more difficult it is to beat your team-mate,” he added.
“Maybe we have come to a point where what we had at the beginning of the season doesn’t function anymore, because we cannot ask either driver to give up positions or jeopardise their own campaign and championship chances for the benefit of the team.”
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