"We are looking like a bunch of idiots," says Mercedes team principal as he admits team orders are back on the table
Wednesday 13 July 2016 15:49, UK
Toto Wolff has admitted Mercedes may have to start using team orders after Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's latest collision.
Rosberg was leading the Austrian Grand Prix before Hamilton attacked around the outside of Turn Two on the final lap, with the German damaging his front wing and dropping back to fourth after nudging his team-mate off the track.
It was the title rivals' second crash in five races with Rosberg later receiving a ten-second penalty after the race stewards ruled that he had been at fault.
"It was brainless," a furious Toto Wolff told Sky F1. "Cars colliding seems a deja-vu. It's absolutely not what we want.
"We are looking like a bunch of idiots and it's disrespectful to 1500 people who work their nuts off to prepare the cars and this is why it needs to end.
"It seems that talking doesn't bring us any further so we need to think about all possible solutions and go as far as implementing the not very popular team orders.
"This is on the table now. This is what we are going to discuss, because maybe it's the only way we can manage the situation.
"I hate team orders, we owe it to the fans to let them race but if every race ends up in a collision between team-mates, it's not what we want."
Rosberg was in fact fortunate that the collision was on the final lap and not any sooner with the championship leader, who is now only 11 points ahead of Hamilton, only being passed by Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen before the chequered flag.
"It could easily have been a double DNF," Wolff added, as the team now prepare for next weekend's British GP.
Both Rosberg and Hamilton have attempted to absolve themselves from any blame, though Sky F1 pundits Anthony Davidson and Martin Brundle both believed it was the German's fault despite Mercedes' claims he had a brake issue.
"I don't think Nico tried to turn the corner," Brundle said. "If he's got brake problems why on earth wasn't he turning in there?
"This was bodywork contact and Nico paid the price for what I believe was his fault."
