Nico Rosberg has brought an end to the team orders debate at Mercedes that dominated much of the media in the aftermath of the Hungarian Grand Prix, saying that he has spoken to the team about the issue and is now moving on.
The German driver started on pole at the Hungaroring, but dropped back following a rain shower and early safety car period. He was soon battling for position with Hamilton, and was told that the Briton would allow him past as he was on a different strategy.
However, Hamilton did not follow the orders given to him by the team. He told his engineer that he would only let Rosberg past if he was in a position to overtake. As he did not get close enough, Rosberg was forced to sit behind Hamilton for the entirety of his stint.
Come the checkered flag, Rosberg was just half a second behind his teammate, meaning that his championship lead was cut by three points. After the race, he did not pass comment on the matter, but appeared to be frustrated. Speaking about it in Belgium ahead of this weekend’s race though, he says that he has moved on from it.
“I gather it was a bit of a mess [in the media] afterwards,” Rosberg explained. “So it’s best I don’t add too much I think and I continue to not give too many details.
“In general of course, we discussed it after the race, just because it’s important to review a situation like that and know how to move forward.
“Now we’re moving forward but of course, I have also learned various things from that race which I will try to adapt for the future.”
As the battle for the championship rages on, many saw this incident as the latest in a long line of intra-team tensions at Mercedes in 2014. However, with the summer break giving both drivers a chance to cool down and relax, they will be hoping to settle their scores in the second half of the season.
