© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen would “absolutely” take each other out in the final race in Abu Dhabi.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have shown that their on-track battles can turn dangerous as they won’t back out from a fight easily.
This was proven in their Silverstone and Monza crashes, that could have ended with serious consequences, but thankfully didn’t.
With the title-fight as close as it is, Toto Wolff says it is realistic to expect that the two drivers could attempt to take each other out in the final race of the season.
“If it was to come to the scenario of the last race in Abu Dhabi and they were to be racing each other for the title, whoever is in front is absolutely going to try to do the same as in the Senna-Prost years,” the Austrian told the Daily Mail.
“What happened in Monza? Verstappen took Lewis out because he was about to overtake and he was quicker. And that is totally understandable.
“If you are racing for the championship and you see it fading away because the other guy is overtaking you, what tool have you got other than the one that makes sure he can’t overtake?
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“We’ve seen it with Schumacher and Villeneuve, we saw it with Senna and Prost twice.
“I would never give the instruction to crash into anyone else but if they go to that last race and whoever is in front wins the championship, they will be racing each other, hard.
“And I don’t think you can control it, Hamilton and Verstappen, I don’t think you want to control it because they are the gladiators in their machines.
“That is what makes this sport so interesting, because it is ingrained in our nature that we don’t like confrontation and then one is intrigued to see how that relationship unfolds.
“If they crash are they going to confront each other? What are they going to say? Will they look in each others’ eyes? We would not interfere.
“The relationship is sorted out between the individuals,” concluded Wolff.
