F1 drivers need to be prevented from making ‘tactical fouls’ - Wolff

Wolff’s comments came after 2021 title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen crashed out of last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix after tangling as they battled for position at the first chicane midway through the race.

Red Bull’s Verstappen has maintained a five-point championship lead over Hamilton after both drivers retired with their cars beached in the gravel trap.

The Dutchman has been given a three-place grid penalty for the next race in Russia after being deemed “predominantly” to blame for the latest flashpoint between the title protagonists who also came to blows at the British Grand Prix.

“We have seen these duels in the past and it is between drivers that are very good that are racing for a world championship,” Wolff said on Sunday evening in Monza before the stewards’ reached their verdict.

“I think the modus operandi for the future is that tactical fouls, in order to make sure the other guy doesn’t win, is something which we need to get under control.

“How? I have no idea.”

The collision followed contract on the opening lap which resulted in Hamilton being forced to take the escape road when he attempted to pass Verstappen around the outside at the second chance.

“I think Lewis gave a lot of space in turn four on lap one and avoided a collision,” Wolff said. "Maybe I am more unsportsmanlike than Lewis because I would have terminated the race there.

“At least we would have had less engine mileage on the power unit and then what happened is the other way around but not avoided the contact.

“This is for me what we need to avoid in the future, taking each other out tactically because you know you have lost the position.

“The only question is 'How many accidents do we want to see in the future in order to stop one guy winning and the other way around?’”

In an interview with Sky directly after the race, Wolff accused Verstappen of committing a “tactical foul”. However, in a later media session, Wolff moved to clarify his remark.

“I didn’t say he [Verstappen] was completely to blame or an absolute judgement on the incident,” Wolff stressed. “What I said is that one could see it as tactical foul with the bias that each of us needs to just acknowledge.

“We don’t want to have situations in the future where one loses the position and the only way of stopping the other one scoring is just by taking him out.

“Both of them need to leave space for each other, race each other hard, but avoid accidents.

“Because it was good fun until now, but we have seen a Halo that saved Lewis’s life and Max had this heavy impact in Silverstone and we don’t want to come to a situation to intervene when somebody gets really hurt.”