Wolff warns "diplomacy has ended" in Red Bull fight after taking "many punches in the face"

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has threatened to cast diplomacy aside as an F1 title fight ramping up in acrimony draws to a conclusion.

Lewis Hamilton was hit with penalties across the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend as a five-place drop for taking another engine was followed by disqualified from qualifying for a technical infringement relating to the DRS on his W12.

Following the 101st victory of his career, Hamilton was again summoned to see the stewards and fined for unbuckling his seatbelts whilst celebrating on his in-lap.

Although frustrated by the penalty decisions against his team, Wolff was left equally frustrated by a perceived lack of punishments towards title rivals Red Bull and Max Verstappen.

Causing the Austrian particular ire was the call not to penalise Verstappen for what he saw as the Dutchman running Hamilton off the road on lap 48.

“I don’t want to moan here because that is not how I see the sport," said Wolff, asked if Mercedes was receiving the same treatment as "other teams".

"I think we have just had many punches in the face this weekend with decisions that could have swung either side, against us or for us.

“But when all those decisions swing against you, it is just something that I’m just angry about.

“I will defend my team, my drivers, to what comes. I have always been very diplomatic in how I discuss things but diplomacy has ended today.”

Not wanting to appear bitter, Wolff explained he is happy to play by the rules so long as there is a consistency to penalty rulings and decisions.

“And by the way, whatever the rules are, if the rules say that [hard racing] is on, which I would love to, then that is fine," Wolff added.

“I’m not discussing the principle of hard racing. Hard racing is super and should be on, but not when it has been clarified before that we can’t drive somebody off the track.”

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