Mercedes set for fresh F1 team orders talks to counter Lewis Hamilton threat

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has warned that team orders may need to be revisited after Lewis Hamilton entered the championship battle with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

Prior to the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Mercedes had won every race of the season, with Russell victorious in Australia, before Antonelli stole a march in the championship with five straight wins from China through to Monaco.

But with retirements in Canada and Monaco while Hamilton finished second on both occasions, Russell dropped to third in the standings, a margin that was extended in Barcelona as the seven-time champion closed to within 41-points of Antonelli.

In Canada, wheel-to-wheel action between the Mercedes pair saw Wolff sit his drivers down to confirm the rules of engagement, with it agreed that neither driver would be required to give any quarter to the other.

Now, however, with the looming threat of his former charge, Wolff has been forced to change tact.

Speaking to media, including Crash.net, he said: “George had an unbelievable beginning of the race where it looked like everybody was standing still behind him.

“But then the pace fell away, and the other stints towards the end of the first and the other two stints, clearly, Kimi had the advantage.

“And we didn't interfere in them fighting, because that's how we've always raced, but it's a situation we need to look into for the future, with both drivers, how to handle a situation where there's a pace differential, if we are fighting for a victory, or the risk of losing a victory.

“And that's going to be an interesting discussion, but always totally transparent to the best interest of the team.”

Mercedes has always been keen to let its drivers race, a strategy that comes with a heavy risk as drivers take points off each other while a team focussed on a single driver, a method commonly used by Ferrari throughout various eras, but most notably during Michael Schumacher’s dominant years, can maximise its return.

Asked by Crash.net if he is shocked at the need to reopen team order discussions again so soon, Wolff added: “I've always said that [if] there is a third party now getting involved in the matter and driver. And in that respect, we will discuss internally with the two drivers how we want to handle a situation where we risk holding each other up. And I think it's not going to be a problem. It's just maybe we need to recalibrate."

Reliability has been a key factor in Hamilton’s rise, with his Ferrari consistently turning in results while Russell and Antonelli have both now been forced to retire from positions of strength.

Commenting on this continuing problem, Wolff added: “I'm underwhelmed.

“We count DNF cars in a kind of regular, a continued way, losing 25 points in a constructors’ championship in Montreal and losing another 25 points, 18 points today, in order to finish first. First you have to finish and reliability, this is what we need to get on top of.

“And that's number one. So nobody's happy about that. And we will leave no stone unturned to understand.”