Toto Wolff has called on Formula 1 fans to stop booing drivers on the podium after Nico Rosberg was subjected to boos for the second race weekend in a row.
The German has been on the receiving end of the abuse because of the lap two incident with team-mate Lewis Hamilton in Belgium and it continued in Italy where he finished second.
Whilst some have argued that booing is just fan engagement and part of the ‘show’, Wolff believes it is disrespectful and needs to stop.
“There should not be any booing on the podium,” Wolff said. “It is the top three guys who have had a mega race and whoever it is they shouldn’t be doing it.
“It is sport and sport should unite. But all those guys have fans; some of them are pretty emotional.”
The Austrian is however confident Rosberg can overcome the emotional stress it causes.
“Does that take a toll on you? Yes. So I think you have to be pretty tough,” he explained. “I don’t want to even think about being booed – but maybe it is something you need to survive if you want to take it to the top.”
“Lewis had many of them and he came back and we have seen Nico after Silverstone come back,” he added. “You need extreme mental strength to make it to the end and win the championship.
“Both of them have it in them to bounce back after weekends. Before the incident at Spa it had been going back and forth.”
