Nico Rosberg drops verdict on Mercedes’ Dutch GP F1 team orders

Nico Rosberg has weighed in on the Mercedes Formula 1 team’s decision to use team orders during the Dutch Grand Prix. 

George Russell was told to give up second place to his team-mate - and direct title rival - Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who had sacrificed track position under a virtual safety car by pitting for fresh tyres in a last-ditch attempt to challenge McLaren’s Lando Norris for the win. 

Antonelli soon caught Russell and Mercedes asked the Briton to move aside so that he did not hold up his faster team-mate given the difficulty of overtaking at Zandvoort. 

Russell initially questioned the call, expressing his concerns about being vulnerable to the Ferraris on fresh tyres behind, but ultimately followed the order, before successfully fending off Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to complete the podium. 

The use of team orders was considered harsh by some given it cost Russell three points in the world championship and has seen him drop 59 points adrift of points leader Antonelli. 

But Rosberg defended the Brackley outfit’s pitwall decision when speaking during Sky Sports F1’s coverage. 

"The team is under threat, and the two drivers have to drive for the team. In my time also, I had to let Lewis past once in Monaco, even though we were fighting for the championship against each other,” the 2016 world champion said. 

"Here it's the same situation, the team result was under threat by the two Ferraris behind, so you have to apply team orders, and they have to follow them, and I think it was fair play. George did a fantastic job to hold on to that third place.”

Rosberg added: “The expectation at the time was that George was really going to struggle with pace and that the Ferraris would therefore threaten not only his position but also Kimi Antonelli's position if Kimi was stuck behind George.

"So it really risks both positions at the same time. It's a tough one, it's really a horrible decision to make. I would not want to be in their position. And if I was in George's place, it would hurt so much. It would be a disaster. 

"But it's somewhat understandable because I do know the team rules very precisely.”

After the race, Russell conceded that Mercedes ultimately made the right decision. 

"Kimi was ahead of me anyway, so he deserved to finish ahead. Of course, when you're in the race, you want to fight for every single position," Russell said. 

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff also defended the call, telling Sky Sports F1: "We had a free stop with Kimi - a team internal free stop - and George was incredibly at the end fighting and also fending off the Ferraris, who were on a much quicker car. Was really, really exceptional.

"That [the decision] looks difficult on the outside but not on the inside. It's a situation we discussed very often, also today in the morning 'we're not going to lose time fighting with each other and have two Ferraris breathing down our neck’.

"So, it would have been the other way around exactly the same. It plays no role who is ahead in the championship or not, it's just about protecting the best possible positions."