Mercedes won’t be adopting a number one and two driver situation, as has been seen in the past with teams fighting for the championship, any time soon.
Reports claim Lewis Hamilton’s failure to sign a new contract with Mercedes is because of his demands for priority status in the team.
That has been previously denied by Hamilton himself and Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff: “That is all rumours – it is not true,” the Austrian told the official Formula 1 website.
“We need two number-one drivers to push the team and the performance of the car,” he added. “I have no doubt that [a one-two status] is not a situation we will end up in with Nico [Rosberg] and Lewis.”
Meanwhile Rosberg says such a situation isn’t possible because of a clause he has in his contract, which he signed last year, which demands he be treated equally to his team-mate.
“That will not happen,” confirmed the German. “In my contract it is written that the team follows a philosophy of two completely equal drivers.”