During a pre-season event in Stuttgart city centre, Toto Wolff announced that their F1 drivers will be given more freedom to battle on the track. This comes after seasons of strict Mercedes rules of conduct within the team.
The event featured the Mercedes F1 duo and all eight of the Mercedes DTM drivers. It was a way for the company to thank its many fans for their support. In total, 600 spectators gathered for autographs and to listen to interviews about the upcoming season and what to expect.
This is where the CEO of the Mercedes F1 Team, Toto Wolff, explained the new plan for the team:
“When we started the project in 2013, there was a lot of pressure on the team in order to achieve the results and win races, and we have done okay.
In 2014, we won the championship and we confirmed that it wasn’t a one-off in 2015. But in order to contain that, we tried to put a framework around it. Sometimes it functions, sometimes it doesn’t.
We learned some interesting lessons and we improved as an organization. With Nico and Lewis, we have been together for a couple of years and it functions pretty well.
So we owe it to them and we owe it to F1 to just let them race. The ride is going to be a bit more difficult for the team sometimes, but that is absolutely necessary.“
Although the team will be allowing their drivers to have more freedom, it won’t get to the point where the pair are taking each other out the race. With Ferrari right on their gearbox for 2016, it is expected that the team will probably still use some form of team orders in order to maximize their performance as a team and ensure that Ferrari doesn’t steal any of the championship titles.
How far will Mercedes let Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton go before stepping in? We’ll have to wait and see at the season opening in Australia on March 20.
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