Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Wolff: Hamilton/Rosberg incidents start feeling like deja vu

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s close encounters at the start of F1 races now feel like deja vu, with the pair making contact again at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Not for the first time this year, pole sitter Hamilton had a sluggish getaway off the line and was immediately overhauled by the fast-starting Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel who had lined up third on the grid.

The Briton also came under pressure from his Mercedes team-mate on the outside, with Rosberg eventually forced to take run-off area after tangling with Hamilton.

"It was a hard manoeuvre," Wolff said of the mishap, which dropped Rosberg to P9. “Lewis said that he had understeer, that's what I would say. From the team's perspective if you're starting one and two and you come out of Turn 1 two and nine that is not pleasant. But I guess I have a deja vu, we are having these discussions after every race…”

And when asked if he needs to ensure both drivers think about the best result for the team after Rosberg's willingness to yield to Hamilton in Monaco, Wolff said it is difficult to preempt such an incident.

"The question is how much can you really manage it from the outside? Turn 1 in Canada is a difficult one and there is a concrete run-off area. If there is a wall then probably we would not have the discussion. But then if you are on the inside you dictate the line.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.