Nico Rosberg has called on Toto Wolff to step in and ensure George Russell and Lewis Hamilton don’t end up falling out over the incident in Qatar. Russell and Hamilton have largely avoided any on-track collisions during their time together at Mercedes, but that run ended at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Hamilton was at fault after misjudging his attempt to move past Russell into the first corner on the opening lap with the seven-time world champion being knocked off into the gravel trap. The incident also cost Russell a chance at finishing on the podium and the young Brit aired his frustration over team radio.
There didn’t appear to be any bad blood between the two drivers after the race as Hamilton was seen apologising to his team-mate. Wolff wasn’t in Qatar as he continued to recovery from surgery on his left knee and Rosberg feels his absence was far from ideal.
And the 2016 world champion has put the onus on Wolff to keep Russell and Hamilton from butting heads. “Wolff’s absence has not been ideal,” Rosberg told Sky Sports.
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“He is the only person who can control the situation. Toto is the only person at Mercedes who has the authority and respect to deal with it. He is the right person to do that, no one else can force the Mercedes drivers to sit down and have a conversation. It is good for Toto to return to the track,”
“Toto may have already sat down with both people in Monaco after the Qatar GP. Ideally, you would let them talk together. It is also possible that he first spoke with George and then visited Lewis. Toto has a lot of experience in managing teammates. He knows what needs to be done.
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“The most important thing is that he remains neutral, an advice that Alain Prost gave him during my time in the sport. Prost said: ‘Toto, the most important thing is that you never take sides between your drivers. Stay neutral, because as soon as you take sides, things get out of hand.’
“I’m sure Toto has learned a lot and will manage things well.”
Rosberg knows all too well what can happen if a partnership gets out of hands at Mercedes. He was embroiled in an ugly falling out with Hamilton in his final few years in F1 before retiring immediately after winning his world title.
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