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

Wolff's first clue on Hamilton's move to Ferrari came from Sainz Sr.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff recently opened up about how he first got wind of Lewis…

9 hours ago

F1 set to reveal rotational European schedule - Domenicali

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has revealed that a rotation of European races on the…

11 hours ago

Coulthard gives South Africa its F1 homecoming

F1 made its long-awaited return to the African continent as David Coulthard raced around the…

13 hours ago

Jordan: ‘Not a chance’ Perez will be retained by Red Bull in 2025

Former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan believes there is "not a chance" that the…

13 hours ago

The day Red Bull signed up its most prized possession

On this day in 2005, Red Bull Racing added a top-level recruit to its ranks,…

15 hours ago

Ferrari partners with IBM to revolutionize fan experience in F1

Ferrari has announced a major multi-year partnership with global technology powerhouse IBM, set to begin…

16 hours ago