Wolff hints Mercedes ‘foursome’ staying together

Toto Wolff

(GMM) Mercedes will soon announce that its 'dream team' is staying together for another season.

That is the claim of team boss Toto Wolff, referring not only to the prospect of 2021 contracts for Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, but also a new deal for himself.

"We will announce the wedding soon," the German broadcaster RTL quotes him as saying.

"Mercedes, myself, Lewis and Valtteri – the foursome. That is what we would like to do. There is no reason to dissolve it," Wolff insisted.

The Austrian also denied that Mercedes' innovative 'DAS' steering system could be why both Hamilton and Bottas suffered late-race tire failures on Sunday.

And Wolff said he is not worried that Pirelli's even softer compounds for this weekend's race could make the situation worse.

"It doesn't make much difference whether it's softer or harder," he said.

"If there is a structural problem, a softer tire wouldn't make it worse. We may just have to stop more often."

Pirelli boss Mario Isola says investigations are taking place as to what caused the failures – excessive wear, or debris on the circuit.

"We are investigating whether the soft choice for the next race will be re-evaluated," he told Sky Italia. "If it was debris, that's obviously different."