Monte Carlo (dpa) – Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg cannot afford another collision at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, the head their Mercedes team, Toto Wolff, has insisted.
«The team is responsible for giving them the best possible cars and they are responsible for getting the best out of them – and for bringing them home,» Wolff said.
«When we let them down, we apologise to and the same goes the other way. It’s a pretty normal culture – we deal with setbacks together and we move on.»
The championship leader Rosberg and title holder Hamilton collided in the first lap of the May 15 Spanish Grand Prix which ended the race of both drivers and cost the team valuable points as well.
Now comes the famed race on the Monte Carlo street circuit where the local resident Rosberg has won in the past two years. Wolff said the team must bounce back against strong opposition from Ferrari and Red Bull who won in Barcelona from Dutch teenager Max Verstappen.
«We cannot afford to drop the ball, so we must remain united, remain strong and hit back hard this weekend,» Wolff said.
Rosberg said «I was gutted after what happened in Spain» but added «we’ve talked it through and now it’s time to leave it in the past.»
Hamilton said: «Barcelona was the worst feeling but, like I always say, the true test is how you get back up when you’ve been knocked down. It was a tough moment for all of us after the race but it’s now chapter closed and looking ahead to Monaco.»
