Mercedes F1 Exec Dir Toto Wolff said that Nico Rosberg "will face serious consequences, but his comments were misinterpreted and he did not deliberately crash into Lewis Hamilton in the Belgian Grand Prix," according to the AFP. Wolff explained that Rosberg, "who was booed on the podium, had wanted to make a point by not giving way when the pair collided on lap two." But that, he said, "did not mean he had intended to crash with Hamilton" puncturing the Briton's left rear tire and wrecking his race. Rosberg, with a broken front wing, "survived and finished second to open up a 29-points lead over Hamilton in the title race with seven races remaining." Wolff: "Today we've seen the limits of the slap on the wrist. The slap on the wrist is not enough. If Lewis has said that it's going to be a slap on the wrist, and that there's going to be no consequence, then he's not aware of what consequences we can implement." Wolff declined to elaborate, but said that Mercedes could do "a lot" and added that the team would re-introduce strict team orders to avoid any repeat incidents that gift victories to their rivals. Wolff: "What we have to do is see it as a matter of principle and make sure it doesn't happen again" (AFP, 8/25). In London, Rick Broadbent wrote Rosberg "is refusing to accept the blame" for the incident. The German driver released a video on his internet channel that "contrasted sharply" with Hamilton's interpretation. Rosberg said: “I have been told what Lewis said in the press and the way he has stated his version of events. All I can say is my view of the events is very different.” Stewards studied the collision and "dismissed it as a racing incident" (LONDON TIMES, 8/26).
