Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff is not happy at the way Max Verstappen battled with Formula 1 world championship contender Nico Rosberg during the Mexican Grand Prix.
After the race Wolff said in reference to Verstappen’s tactics, “You don’t bang wheels with the championship leader three races from the end. The team have given him that guidance, but maybe in the car and when the visor is down, it is difficult.”
The pair nearly came together on the opening lap as the field stormed into Turn 1 and then later in the race he attacked Rosberg in Turn 4, another incident which could have ended in tears.
Nevertheless the Mercedes chief acknowledges Verstappen’s talent and style, “I think it is very refreshing how he drives and his driving is ruthless. I like that. I think that the team gave him a radio call and I am not sure, if I read it right, but when he was catching up, they said: Keep it clean with Nico. This is exactly what I would have said to him.
Verstappen received a five seconds penalty for short-cutting the track in the Turn 1/ Turn 2 complex which in the end demoted him to fourth in the standings. Afterwards it was asked why Lewis Hamilton did not receive a penalty on the opening lap for a similar transgression.
Wolff explained, “I think the big difference it was a lap 1 incident and on the other side you could also say that Max could have got a penalty for banging wheels with the championship leader into Turn 1 and pushing him off the track.”
“I think maybe the penalty [Verstappen] got at the end was a consequence of all the driving and as refreshing as it is, and how ruthless the great ones are – and this is just my opinion and I won’t comment on the other one – if you race the championship leader three races down to the end wheel banging is not what should happen,” added Wolff.
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