Mercedes won't let Bottas-Hamilton relationship sour

Since the retirement of Nico Rosberg at the height of his glory at the end of 2016, the atmosphere has been serene on the side of Brackley. It must be said that his replacement Valtteri Bottas never really posed a threat to Lewis Hamilton, who wore two new crowns without firing a shot in the process. 

Given the bearded Finn's excellent start to the 2019 campaign, could things change this season? We could see in Baku that Bottas will not hesitate to show his teeth to resist his five-time world champion teammate. The porridge effect undoubtedly.

Hamilton, great lord, assures that the situation is not comparable to the quibbles with Rosberg since “ Valtteri respects the rules of engagement, he ". Allusion to the various contacts on the track which spoiled the relations between the two former best enemies – Belgium 2014, Spain 2016, Austria 2016. Wolff still has chills, even if its pilots dominated the debates so much with their equipment that the pain was quickly eased with world doubles. 

Until now, Hamilton and Bottas have never clashed. But a first spark would probably be enough for the situation to flare up, even if the two men are not really worried by a Team in dire straits at the moment. 

« This reminds me a little of the mano a mano of the 2014-2016 seasons, conceded Wolff after the last Azerbaijan Grand Prix. You have two drivers with the qualities and ambition to win a championship. 

It's up to us to be careful together to avoid a repeat of the torments we experienced during the era of Nico and Lewis. It should also be remembered that Hag or Leclerc can quickly return to the rankings. We're lucky to have two guys who get along really well. There is no little squabble behind the scenes and I am delighted about that. But we are well aware that a relationship can quickly deteriorate. 

We want lions in the car, so we can't expect them to behave like sheep. That said, they must always respect each other. We have a very strong collective and we will not let the links between drivers weaken to the point of having a negative impact on the team. 

If history were to repeat itself, we would make sure to send yellow and red cards. But we are far from it ». 

For now…