Toto Wolff wanted team orders sooner during German GP

Toto Wolff admitted that he wanted to give team orders sooner to his drivers during the German Grand Prix. In the latter stages of the race, Valtteri Bottas was harassing race leader Lewis Hamilton for position, but a message from the team to hold station was swiftly issued.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Wolff said he was worried about a potential crash between his two drivers and in fact admitted to wanting to issue team orders sooner.

“The last three races we had so much bad luck, we lost so many points,” he said.

“At that stage it was still raining a little bit and we didn’t want to have a fight.

“We got it anyway. We said guys let’s bring it home, even though we love seeing them racing.

“If I could I would have stopped it earlier but I didn’t expect Valtteri to go so hard.

“This is the racer instinct. And it shows the two are allowed to race each other but when it was closer I thought ‘let’s stop it there.”

After a safety car to recover Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari, Bottas attempted to take first from Hamilton but Mercedes chief strategist James Vowles asked Bottas to hold station and bring home a one-two finish for the team on home soil, before apologising for the request.

The result means that Mercedes leapfrog Ferrari back into the lead of the constructor standings whilst Lewis Hamilton regains a healthy advantage in the driver standings with one race remaining until F1's summer break.