Ferrari tensions give Wolff sense of deja vu

SAO PAULO: As Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur answered questions about tensions between drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on Friday in Sao Paulo, he brought back bad memories for the other team principal at the press conference, Toto Wolff.

Five days after seeing his drivers clash in Mexico last Sunday, Vasseur faced a stream of questions about them and talks the team had held to clear the air.

Mercedes boss Wolff said he had been there himself.

"Fred doesn't need any advice from me, but it's like deja vu," said Wolff, referring to his own problems when Hamilton and 2016 champion Nico Rosberg fought for the title with Mercedes a decade ago.

The pair battled so hard that at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix they crashed out on the opening lap, gifting a maiden victory to a teenage Dutchman making his debut for Red Bull: Max Verstappen.

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Vasseur pointed out that last Sunday's tangle between Hamilton and Leclerc had not ended in a crash or a retirement, but had cost Ferrari a potential one-two finish.

"Sometimes when you put two strong drivers in there, the best ones have edges and they want to win," said Wolff. "And that is a situation that is always very difficult to cope with and a situation that is under the media spotlight if those cars race at the front.

"I can relate to what Fred is going through now and I think sometimes it needs the really tough moments like this last one to make a point.

"When I was there with Nico and Lewis, when there was an accident, it was understood that that was the limit and that it wouldn't continue like this.

"That's why maybe it needed to escalate to that point because it's all about respect to the team, and about the many, many thousand people at the brand that work together.