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Rosberg unsure about need to let Mercedes drivers race

Following his first lap clash with team mate Lewis Hamilton on Sunday and the subsequent debacle the incident led to for Mercedes, Nico Rosberg was surprised to learn that team boss Toto Wolff was still 'happy' to let his drivers race each other in the future.

Indeed, Wolff said after Sunday's Spanish GP fiasco that Mercedes had no intention of reining in its drivers, but when told Wolff is "happy" to allow the drivers to continue racing, Rosberg says he is believes there is the need to have further discussions.

"You say Toto says he’s happy to let us race but I don’t think happy is the right word," Rosberg said, responding to media questions on the subject.

"Maybe he has taken this decision but I’m sure happy is not the right word. Happy, for me, is really not the right word so I don’t understand why you keep going with that.

"Let’s see, what the discussions about future racing are, we haven’t discussed that yet. I don’t know."

Rosberg also refused to compare Sunday's terminal encounter with Hamilton with what happened at Spa in 2014 when an over-ambitious move by the German driver almost led to the pair's demise on the first lap of the Belgian GP.

"I don’t see why there’s any way of comparing this incident with what happened in Spa two years ago. It’s completely different things. What similarities did you see?"

When suggested that there was perhaps a form of consolation in the fact that Hamilton ended up no better off than himself with regard to points, Rosberg begged to differ.

"What solace can I take? I’m sitting here now with zero points and I was in the gravel trap and I was about to win that race, so what solace can I take?"

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.