Mercedes F1 boss all for high emotions between Hamilton, Rosberg

Published Apr. 15, 2015 12:24 p.m. ET

Adam Cooper

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says it's no surprise that emotions are running high in the Lewis Hamilton v. Nico Rosberg battle – and he insists that the team doesn't want to put a stop to it.

It's been apparent since Ferrari's win in Sepang that it will be harder for the team to manage the dynamic between the two drivers.

“After the wake-up call in Malaysia, it was satisfying to see how the team pulled together for the race in China,” he said in a team preview. “We did our homework, made improvements and scored a strong one-two finish. But China also confirmed that Ferrari will be a threat in all conditions this year, not just when it's very hot, and that we will have new challenges to face as a team, with another competitor who is much closer to our level of performance.”

Regarding Hamilton and Rosberg in China he said: “We saw tensions between Nico and Lewis in the race, and we tackled them directly on Sunday night to stop anything carrying over to this weekend. When you have intense competition, it's normal that it causes emotions to run high - and that's not something we want to change.

“But both drivers are now very focused on delivering maximum performance in Bahrain and our package should cope well with the demands of the circuit. We maintain our philosophy of letting the drivers race - but they both know that the number one priority for the team is to win for Mercedes-Benz.”

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