Toto Wolff nearly fired Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg over their 2016 heated rivalry

• Examining how Toto Wolff nearly sacked drivers to protect Mercedes’ brand.
• Why fierce rivalry between Hamilton and Rosberg forced ruthless intervention.
• Understanding the human cost behind the infamous Mercedes silver war era.

---

A healthy rivalry is good, but when it becomes fierce, especially in a sport like F1, it could cost the team significantly. And that’s what Toto Wolff was aware of when he saw the childhood friends turned rivals, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, fight brutally on track.

There was hunger to clinch the title, which resulted in intense on-track moments (think: 2016 Spanish Grand Prix crash), bitterness in their once good friendship, and also led to a psychological war.

Amid such a heated rivalry situation, Toto Wolff had no option but to step in to teach both the stubborn drivers a lesson. He wanted them to learn that they are representing a brand and that not everything is about them.

While he was open to healthy competition, it simply didn’t sit well with him that the duo’s aggressive rivalry led to several crashes, which he believed crossed the boundaries. Therefore, Wolff was ready with his plan to sack them to make them realise their mistakes, which was clearly damaging the team’s brand.

Wolff’s ruthless lesson for Hamilton and Rosberg

In a conversation with The Athletic, Wolff revealed that he called the chief executive officer, Dieter Zetsche, to inform him that he was sacking both his drivers. In disbelief, Zetsche asked him if he was really sure about his decision. Wolff said that he was because if he didn’t take this hard way, they wouldn’t realise how the team and brand are above their own personal objectives.

He said, “It was their personal rivalry that took over. And from a healthy competition, it went to a rivalry, and it became animosity. And that’s just not something I would allow in the organisation, and based on these factors, we sent them an email and said, ‘At the moment, you’re not part of the team.”

Wolff revealed that he summoned both the drivers, mentioning that he isn’t aware of whose fault it is, as their rivalry is complex. He warned them that if they crashed into each other once again, he might have to sack any one of them. And clearly stated that there’s a possibility that he could send away a person who might not even be at fault.

Making both drivers understand the consequences of their bitter actions on track, he elaborated, “People who need to repay their mortgages who work in the factories, what do they think? That you two crash into each other because you don’t like each other? And it directly affects the lives of two and a half thousand people. Who do you think you are? And that’s an important understanding that you need to have with your drivers.”

Where does Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton’s bond currently stand?

Before their pursuit of success strained their bond, Rosberg and Hamilton were good friends whose paths first crossed during their karting days. Hamilton once revealed that they used to share rooms, play video games, and that Rosberg’s father was supportive of him.

In F1, they were also popularly dubbed “Brocedes.” Rosberg had been part of Mercedes since 2010, with Hamilton joining him in 2013. The seeds of bitterness began to grow gradually from the start, eventually dooming their relationship in the following years.

As they competed against each other, their hunger to win and challenge one another fractured their once genuine friendship. The 2016 season was a prime example of their fiercest rivalry in F1 history, ending with Rosberg taking away the title from Hamilton before retiring from the sport the same year.

At present, Rosberg and Hamilton seem to have reached a stage of mutual respect and courtesy, although their differing opinions still surface in interviews. However, the close friendship they once shared no longer exists as it did before.