Hamilton and Verstappen F1 title fears keeping fight clean - Wolff

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes the threat of Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen losing the F1 title due to dropped points has kept their battle clean.

Hamilton extended his championship lead from one to eight points after taking victory in the Portuguese Grand Prix during which he went wheel to wheel with Verstappen for the third race in succession.

Both men have intimated they are aware of the potential championship-defining cost of a zero-points score, with Wolff suggesting it is this fear that has led to a trouble-free fight.

“I think they are not crossing the line on the track yet because the risk of losing points is just too big," said Wolff.

"But it is going to go head-to-head and certainly the rivalry may increase or not but I see Lewis completely relaxed about the situation.

“He enjoys every bit of racing with the team, getting us up to speed because we weren’t there and this is just a fun place at the moment. Actually, not at the moment – it IS a fun place.”

In pre-season testing, Mercedes struggled to match the pace of Red Bull and for the first time in the V6 turbo-hybrid era there appeared to be genuine concern the manufacturer would be unable to compete for the title.

After taking two wins from the first three grands prix of the year, Wolff conceded he would not have bet on such a turnaround.

“No, I wouldn’t have believed it because I am so in a way, reliant on probabilities and math," added Wolff.

"Based on these facts, I wouldn’t have expected to be on pole twice and win two races. That was not what my brain would have told me.”

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