Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda believes it’s time for Mercedes to start backing Lewis Hamilton over team-mate Valtteri Bottas after the 12th round of the season at Spa.
In Hungary, Mercedes ordered Hamilton to let Bottas through for third place after the Finn did the same earlier in the race. The British driver was the much faster driver on the day but the team has always vowed to keep things equal between its two drivers.
Hamilton took pole position and maximum points in the race while Bottas was a lowly fifth, struggling for pace all weekend.
The Finn has fallen 34 points behind the three-time champion in the drivers’ championship, and Lauda believes it’s time for Mercedes to back one driver to avoid losing vital points to rivals.
“If Lewis had not given away those three points in Budapest, he would now be only four points behind Vettel,” he said.
“This giving away of points must stop now.
“I was champion by half a point, so I know exactly how important every single point is when you count them in the end.
“I know exactly what we need to do. Bottas did not have a strong weekend at Spa so it is already clear that Lewis has a better chance for the championship.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says he is considering backing one driver but insists he will be waiting till after Monza to decide.
“You can only beat an opponent like Ferrari when everything fits,” says Wolff.
“We do want to keep ourselves open for all the options as long as possible, and we also know that there is no manual for dealing with these problems.
“Ferrari has the luxury of one driver being clearly ahead of the other, so for now we will decide on a race by race basis.
“Let’s see after Monza.”
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