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Merc chiefs vow to 'cool hot heads'

BERLIN, Germany - Mercedes chiefs have resolved to cool the simmering feud between title-warring team mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Germany's Bild newspaper reports that when the pair - who collided during the 2014 Belgian F1 GP at Spa - came face-to-face in Germany on Wednesday (August 27) for a sponsor's photo shoot, they barely acknowledged each other.

'HOT HEADS SHOULD COOL'

Since the 2014 Belgian GP the drivers have been exchanging barbs through the news media; team bosses have reportedly told Rosberg and Hamilton to cool it.

Team chairman Niki Lauda confirmed: "Toto Wolff, Paddy Lowe and I agreed that hot heads should be cooled this week. Each word only triggers a reaction from the other. The drivers know now what responsibilities they have."

The collision at Spa-Francorchamps is still the dominant topic in F1 but the governing International Automobile Federation has resisted calls to open an investigation despite Hamilton having accused Rosberg of deliberately causing the collision that shredded one of his tyres and eventually put him out of the race.

'ROSBERG WAS A LITTLE CUNNING'

The drivers' steward in Belgium, Emmanuele Pirro, revealed to Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport that his fellow federation officials needed "only 10 seconds" to decide against investigating the clash.

Pirrosaid: "There was no intention. Perhaps Rosberg was a little cunning and clever to try it but in the end the main problem was what happened within the team."

Alain Prost, one of the most successful of F1 drivers, agreed that what happened on Lap 2 was just "a racing incident". He told Russia's f1news.ru: "You have to remember that from the cockpit you can't see your big front wing and every weekend we see two or three incidents just like this.

"Lewis did not want to leave him more space, Nico didn't want to leave the track and perhaps made a small mistake in assessing the situation but he didn't do it intentionally - the chance was much higher that he could have damaged his own car.

"Of course the consequences were very serious for Lewis but it was still a racing incident, albeit inflamed by the media and the fans and even the team."

FUED TO CONTINUE IN MONZA?

Mark Webber, who until retiring from F1had an intense rivalry with Sebastian Vettel, tipped the dispute to roll into the 2014 Italian GP at Monza.

Webber told Austrian broadcaster Servus TV: "The two are going into a media nightmare in Monza. The whole story is going to be replayed all over again and it won't be easy for them to concentrate on the job.

"They will only be paying attention each another - they know the Constructors' title is as good as over."

He added: "...but Mercedes will overcome this controversy and get both titles."

Stay with Wheels24 for the 2014 F1 season – fresh reports every day.
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