Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has backed Sebastian Vettel after his controversial clash with Max Verstappen during the Japanese Grand Prix.
The two drivers have blamed each other for the incident at Spoon on Lap 6, which took place shortly after a Safety Car restart, and saw the Ferrari driver drop to the back of the field after spinning out.
Vettel slammed what he saw as over-aggressive defending by Verstappen, while the Dutchman simply stated he gave space at a corner where overtaking doesn’t normally take place.
For Mercedes, it was a crucial moment as Sebastian’s eventual sixth-place finish all-but secures Lewis Hamilton a fifth world title and Wolff doesn’t agree with those think it was an ambitious attempt by Vettel to pass.
“I’m not sure it’s a mistake with him,” said the Austrian. “He recovered well from his starting position and was running a solid fourth at that stage.
“As a race driver you need to go for it or not and the door looked open and he gave it a go and then there was a racing incident that caused him to drop all the way back.”
With Hamilton needing just eight points more than his German rival at the next race in Austin to become champion, the Briton has already suggested it’s not the time to starting looking too far ahead and his team boss agrees.
“I don’t believe you have your hands on the trophy until you have it in your hands.
“As it stands we haven’t got the driver trophy and we haven’t got the constructor trophy, which is a little bit further away.”