Mercedes F1 Will Fire Either Hamilton Or Rosberg If They Don’t Resolve Their Differences

It looks as if it’s 1989 all over again: two drivers in the top team being the worst of enemies, only this time it’s not Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost in McLaren but Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in Mercedes – and the team have had enough of their tantrums.

Two number one drivers are both a blessing and a curse in a Formula 1 team. On the one hand, they can get the best results. On the other, if they don’t get along it will surely end up in tears for the whole outfit.

Every race driver knows that the first he has to beat on the track is his team mate. There are limits, though, and Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has decided that he’s had enough with the feud between Hamilton and Rosberg.

“We struggle sometimes in winning races on Sunday and having one driver upset”, Wolff told Motorsport. “This spills over into the team. It is something that needs to stop.”

The Austrian vented his frustration after the last race of a season, held in Abu Dhabi. Mercedes had already clinched the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships with considerable ease, but the race was another issue, with Hamilton’s tire strategy and frustration over the team’s radio instructions over engine settings.

“Three years ago, we took the decision of having two evenly matched drivers in order to make the team progress faster and better”, said Wolff. “Going forward, we will consider if it is the best set-up for the team. Personality and character within the team is a crucial ingredient for the team success”.

To say that there is no love lost between them would be the understatement of the year as they don’t literally see eye to eye. Mercedes’ Austrian boss won’t allow this to go on. Not only do they occasionally clash on the track or make tense statements, but also because this situation is affecting the rest of the team members.

“If we feel that it is not aligned with the general consensus, spirit and philosophy within the team, we might consider that when we take a decision, in terms of the driver line-up going forward”, he quipped.

This means that one of them will inevitably have to depart. Hamilton has signed a lucrative extension of his contract until the end of 2018, while Rosberg’s runs out at the end of 2016. That’s not to say that the latter will be forced out: “I think it is important to have talented and fast drivers in the car”, was Wolff’s comment. “But we want to work with nice guys”. Is this a hint of who’s going to get the boot unless they kiss and make up?

Maybe Jean Todt was right after all when he chose to have one Michael Schumacher as an undisputed number one in Ferrari and then picking up a solid number two who would obey team orders.