Wolff: Hamilton/Rosberg incidents start feeling like deja vu

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.”

2016 Canadian Grand Prix - F1i's driver ratings

Hamilton beats Vettel to win in Canada

Breakfast with ... David Hobbs

Technical feature: Under the skin of the Haas VF-16

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.

Recent Posts

Russell impressed by Mercedes rivals’ power unit strength

While Mercedes spent the first week of the 2026 shakedown in Barcelona looking like a…

13 hours ago

Gasly invests in MotoGP team Tech3 as Steiner-led era begins

Pierre Gasly is adding a new kind of horsepower to his career. The Alpine F1…

15 hours ago

Jo Bonnier: A true gentleman racer

Sweden's Jo Bonnier, who was born on this day in 1930, enjoyed a career in…

17 hours ago

Barcelona Gallery: Tracking F1's technical revolution on track

While the stopwatches and spreadsheets provided the hard data, the visual spectacle of the 2026…

17 hours ago

Schumacher ’94: Netflix revisits legend’s epic first F1 title

Netflix is gearing up to transport viewers back to one of Formula 1’s most volatile…

18 hours ago

Formula 1’s Barcelona Shakedown by the numbers

The 2026 Formula 1 era roared to life in Barcelona this week, offering a first…

19 hours ago