Nico Rosberg will face no further sanction from F1’s stewards "over his crash with Lewis Hamilton in the Belgian Grand Prix," according to Daniel Johnson of the London TELEGRAPH. Both Mercedes F1 Exec Dir Toto Wolff and Rosberg denied Hamilton’s accusation that the German had “deliberately” caused the collision to “prove a point.” Sources at the FIA had originally said that "there would only be an investigation if Rosberg admitted causing the accident intentionally, or if Mercedes lodged a complaint." A spokesperson for the FIA confirmed that without any “new evidence” the matter would be laid to rest. The spokesperson said, "The FIA will not intervene in this issue" (TELEGRAPH, 8/26). The BBC reported Hamilton "promised not to retaliate" against Rosberg at the Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton, 29, said, "I will always put the team first and I won't take anything into my own hands" (BBC, 8/26). In London, Kevin Eason wrote Hamilton "has aimed a thinly veiled dig" at Rosberg. Asked whether he could trust Rosberg should they be wheel-to-wheel at the next
race at Monza, Hamilton added, “I’ll have to make sure we’re not wheel-to-wheel.”
Hamilton’s former teammate, McLaren driver Jenson Button, also joined the debate, "calling
for a clean contest between the warring Mercedes team-mates." Button "aligned himself with the man he partnered at McLaren for three seasons,
warning that the championship could be decided for the wrong reasons."
Button said, "I feel for Lewis. It is a shame it is not a cleaner fight. I
have always said that the person who wins the world championship this year
is the person who does the best job on the circuit but it does not quite
seem that is the way it is at the moment." McLaren Racing Dir Eric Boullier warned that "Mercedes may
have to impose a media blackout to prevent the drivers playing out their
emotions on screen and in newsprint."
Boullier said, “If there is a very serious degradation in the relationship between the
drivers and between the drivers and the team, you will end up with a big,
big mess." Fernando Alonso, "the beneficiary of team orders at Ferrari," believes that "the very
public spat is good for the fans, who are relishing the intense contest. ... It is difficult. If the team lets the drivers fight and they don’t touch, it
is fantastic; when they touch, the team are no good any longer. It is a very
narrow line to try to make everyone happy" (LONDON TIMES, 8/26).
