Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff believes Valtteri Bottas wasn’t alone in ignoring an order not to attempt the fastest lap at the Australian GP.
With an extra point on offer for setting the quickest time in 2019, the Finn made it clear he would be going for it over the closing laps each team his previous best was beaten.
And he stayed true to his word, immediately hitting back when Max Verstappen went fastest, becoming the first-ever driver to score 26 points at a single race.
“Today in the morning meeting when we talked about strategy, I forbade them to go for the fastest lap if we were running first, second or third,” Wolff revealed.
“They ignored me. All of them! I think it was a plot between the engineers and drivers, because the engineers were keen. I need to reconstruct the radio calls and how that happened.
“At the end I’m very happy. Collecting that extra point I think is good. It’s entertaining. It’s a great new part of the spectacle.”
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While it is true every point counts in a championship, the Austrian explained his opposition to the drivers pushing hard late on.
“I believe that it’s taking risks,” he added. “Especially when you’re aiming for the big points, should you go for the fastest lap?
“But then maybe my reference point in keeping control of a car is my own driving and not the level of the Formula 1 drivers? I didn’t like it so much.”