Toto Wolff says he is yet to discuss Mercedes team orders – ‘The situation is different’

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has not yet spoken to drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton about team orders after their front row lockout in Mexico. Red Bull entered qualifying as the favourites to secure pole after a comfortable one-two in final practice, with Sergio Perez dreaming of a home pole while Mercedes were half a second slower. 

The Silver Arrows hit back in style though, with Bottas claiming an unlikely third pole of the season while teammate Hamilton took P2 to secure an unlikely front row lock-out – their first of the season.

Verstappen finished third after finishing over three tenths off the Finn following a chaotic end to qualifying.

The first set of flying laps in Q3 put Bottas on provisional pole ahead of Hamilton while Verstappen and Perez could only get P3 and P4.

Looking for any advantage to aid his final run, Verstappen pursued Perez to gain a slipstream but the plan was derailed when Tsunoda ran wide – and the Mexican joined him, slowing the Dutchman.

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With the title race entering the final straight, both Mercedes and Red Bull have spoken about the prospect of using team orders to boost their chances of success at the end of the season.

For Hamilton, a victory with Verstappen finishing third would cut the gap by 10 points, compared to just three if he finished second for Mercedes.

Wolff admitted that Mercedes had not yet spoken about team orders, but confirmed they would be discussed in their race day morning briefing.

“No, we haven’t discussed [it] because we felt that we were not in a position to consider to talk about,” Wolff said. 

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“It would have been such a long shot, talking about the victory before qualifying.

“Obviously the situation is different now, and we are going to address it tomorrow morning, like we always do in the strategy meeting.”

Mercedes has previously used team orders to help Hamilton’s world title bids, with the most famous example coming at the 2018 Russian Grand Prix when Bottas gave up a race win to his team-mate.

Wolff declared that while team orders are tricky situations, they should be considered in specific scenarios.

“I’m a racer, and I feel that such discussion is something that is always just disappointing in a way,” Wolff added. 

“But sometimes the circumstances oblige that.

“We will address it and discuss it first with Valtteri and Lewis, because they’re both involved in such discussion, and then see whether the race scenario actually obliges us to make any such call.”

Wolff’s sentiment appears to be shared by Bottas who – when asked about team orders on Thursday – gave a fair response.

The Finn stated that if there was “an opportunity in a reasonable way to help Lewis in the fight, obviously as his team-mate, I’ll do it”.

Formula 1 returns to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the Mexican Grand Prix on November 7, with Red Bull star Verstappen holding a slender 12-point lead over Mercedes’ Hamilton.

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