LONDON, England – On Friday (August 28), Wheels24 reported that Mercedes' CEO Dieter Zetsche stepped in to try to resolve the ugly spat simmering between his Formula 1 drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes reported on Friday (August 28) that Rosberg has been disciplined for his actions and apologised for colliding with team mate Hamilton during the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix on August 24.
Rosberg hit Hamilton on the second lap of the 2014 Belgian GP and Hamilton was forced to retire with a damaged floor after suffering a puncture.
‘SUITABLE DISCIPLINARY MEASURES’
Hamilton told reporters that Rosberg had admitted in a team meeting to hitting him on purpose to "prove a point" although the German later dismissed the contact as a racing incident.
Team bosses Toto Wolff, Paddy Lowe, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton met today (Aug 29) in the boardroom of Mercedes-AMG HQ in Brackley, England, to discuss the events. A statement later said:
"During this meeting Nico acknowledged his responsibility for the contact on Lap 2 of the Belgian GP and apologised for this error of judgment. Suitable disciplinary measures have been taken.
"Mercedes-Benz remains committed to hard, fair racing because that is the right way to win championships. It is good for the team, for the fans, for F1. Lewis and Nico understand and accept the team's No.1 one rule: There must be no contact on track between the team's cars."
Rosberg was blamed by the team after the race for causing what was an avoidable collision. However no action was taken by the stewards or the governing International Automobile Federation and Mercedes said it would not change the policy of allowing the pair to race each other freely.
'FREE TO RACE'
The team statement added: "It has been made clear that another such incident will not be tolerated but Nico and Lewis are our drivers and we believe in them. They remain free to race for the 2014 F1 championship."
Rosberg has a 29-point lead over Hamilton with seven races remaining. Red Bull's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo claimed his third victory of the season at Spa.
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