Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff Promises Equal Treatment of Drivers

Published 10/18/2019, 8:03 AM EDT

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has promised not to play favourites for the rest of the season. His comments come in spite of the fact that Lewis Hamilton has built up a commanding lead over Valtteri Bottas.

The duo head into the Mexican Grand Prix, as the sole contenders for the 2019 title chase. While Hamilton has a 338-point lead in the championship, Bottas is 64 points behind.

The 5-time world champion only needs to score 14 more points that his team-mate in Mexico. In other words, a win for Hamilton and anywhere outside the top 4 for Bottas would end the title race.

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However, If the Mercedes leader wins with a bonus point for fastest lap, Bottas needs to be on the podium to keep the fight going. Now, the Mercedes team principal has promised to treat both drivers equally.

via Imago

The Mercedes motorsport boss told BBC Sport: “We have to stay true to the values we have defined in the past and always played the most-fair game. You can see how difficult it is sometimes today.”

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“We are certainly keen on seeing them racing. Valtteri is very much an outsider with the points – two and a half wins out of four races – so we will give them equal opportunity and it is for them to race it out on track.”

Bottas struck back when he seized victory in Suzuka last weekend, with Hamilton in 3rd. However, it seems more like a matter of when Hamilton will claim that 6th title. When he does, he will be a step closer to equalling the record set by Michael Schumacher.

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However, if Scuderia Ferrari can navigate past an FIA investigation unscathed, they can be serious headaches. In addition to that, Red Bull will be eager to pull up their socks and take the fight to the top 2 teams.

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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