Wolff expects a "clear message": Hopping Lewis Hamilton was "really over"

As part of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Mercedes in particular is still struggling with a painful problem: the racing cars behave at high speeds that Mercedes cannot control - and which plague the drivers badly.

Wolff expects a "clear message": Hopping Lewis Hamilton was "really over"

As part of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Mercedes in particular is still struggling with a painful problem: the racing cars behave at high speeds that Mercedes cannot control - and which plague the drivers badly. The Mercedes boss expects the drivers to rebel.

According to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, the sometimes heavily hopping Formula 1 cars could trigger a new rule debate with the drivers. The pilots are already in discussions about the question: "Is it a problem for us that we have to deal with regulations that put a physical strain on us in the next few years," said Wolff on the sidelines of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.

On the street circuit, it was again observed that a number of cars became very unsteady at high speed and the drivers were subjected to frequent knocks in the cockpit. "I can only speak for our two drivers. They have problems to the point where not even physiotherapists can help," said Austrian Wolff.

Superstar Lewis Hamilton revealed his back was "really broken" after Friday's training session in Baku. Only massage and acupuncture would help him at the moment. "But on Saturday morning I was still in a lot of pain," said the 37-year-old record world champion. After the comprehensive rule reform before this season, Mercedes always has concerns with the hopping silver arrows.

Other teams already have a much better grip on this technical effect. "We have to see how that develops and understand why it's much harder in some cars than in others," said Wolff. He expects that the pilots will soon speak with one voice on this topic. If they fear permanent health consequences, "the drivers will come with a clear statement," said Wolff.