Hamilton pleads with Mercedes not to take the spectacle of F1 away

Lewis Hamilton has pleaded with Mercedes to let he and team-mate Nico Rosberg continue to race each other despite another collision between the pair.

Two-time Formula One world champion Hamilton secured victory at Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix following a collision with Rosberg on the last lap.

Rosberg was leading going into turn two but deliberately tried to push Hamilton – who went on the outside of the German – off the track.

However, the contact saw Rosberg damage his front wing, with Hamilton able to pass the championship leader and take the chequered flag, while Rosberg limped home in fourth.

The Mercedes hierarchy were left furious with the two drivers, and boss Toto Wolff conceded team orders may be necessary to wipe out a possible repeat.

But Hamilton believes the pair should be allowed to race each other, or else it would be taking away from the spectacle of the sport.

“I want to race,” the Briton said. “I grew up wanting to race. I wanted to get to F1, race the best and be the best, by out-driving another individual.

“They showed a replay of Michael [Schumacher] and [Rubens] Barrichello many years ago [regarding the team orders controversy from Austria 2002] and I was disappointed as a fan back then.

“You never want to see team orders happening. The great thing is Toto and Niki [Lauda] have been great and allow us to race, and that is what racing is about.

“It is not always going to be blue skies and perfect, but that is motor racing. Every engineer and mechanic has been through Formula Ford and Formula Renault and all the different categories. They have seen the good and the bad and know these things can happen.

“We are driving at 200-plus [miles per hour]. You expect us to drive around and never, never, never have a problem? I doubt it.

“I hope it doesn’t change and I hope we can continue to race. That is my honest opinion from a love of this sport.”

The win, Hamilton’s third of the season, meant he cut Rosberg’s championship lead to just 11 points.