Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has reiterated his claim that Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg could lose their seat if their rivalry boils over next season.
The pair, who considered one another good friends when they started out racing, have grown further apart with each passing race as the competition between them grows.
Wolff believes it could begin to hurt the team if it becomes any worse in 2016.
“If it were to become detrimental to the team that would mean that we would not maintain the long-term set-up in the team with the drivers,” he said.
“It’s very important to keep the spirit within the team, and the competition between Nico and Lewis has been very fierce, very competitive at times. It’s understandable because they are fighting in a car that is capable of winning the championship against each other.
“The guy in the other car cannot be your friend, but we need to be careful that it doesn’t spill over on both sides of the garage.
“We’ve seen teams in the past where there is a competition being created that is not good for the dynamics within the team.”
Hamilton hit back at the warning last week, claiming they will never be friends when they’re competing against one another, but doesn’t believe it’s having a negative impact on the team.
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