Toto Wolff takes blame for causing 'controversy' over historic Mercedes duel

Toto Wolff has admitted he was responsible for some of the controversy surrounding Mercedes' handling of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's championship battle in 2016, reflecting on how he attempted to micromanage the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Rosberg secured his only Formula 1 drivers' title at the Yas Marina Circuit, finishing second behind race winner Hamilton to beat his Mercedes team-mate by five points in the standings.

However, the race became one of the most contentious finales in F1 history, with Hamilton deliberately slowing the pace in an attempt to bring rivals into contention and force Rosberg to finish outside the top three.

Mercedes repeatedly instructed Hamilton to increase his speed, warning that Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen could threaten the team's one-two finish. Hamilton refused to follow the requests, telling his race engineer to "let us race" as he attempted to overturn Rosberg's championship advantage.

The Briton's tactics ultimately failed, with Rosberg holding second place to claim the title. The incident underlined the difficulty Mercedes faced in managing two drivers across the campaign.

"Looking back at it, I wish I would have had the 10 years more experience than I have today," Wolff told media, including RacingNews365, as it approaches a decade since that race.

"Because there are a few things I would have handled differently and maybe avoided some of the controversy, particularly in the last race where we tried to micromanage a situation that didn't need to be managed, in my opinion.

"And that was my fault."

How Mercedes reached boiling point

The tension had been building throughout 2016. Hamilton and Rosberg collided on the opening lap of the Spanish Grand Prix in May, eliminating both Mercedes cars, before another clash in Austria in July saw Rosberg penalised after contact on the final lap.

Following the Austrian incident, Mercedes tightened its rules of engagement, warning both drivers that further collisions could carry sporting and financial consequences while allowing them to continue racing.

Hamilton's title challenge was also affected by reliability problems, most notably his engine failure while leading the Malaysian Grand Prix in October. Rosberg capitalised on the setback and arrived in Abu Dhabi with a 12-point advantage, needing only a podium finish to become champion.

Wolff's latest reflection acknowledges that Mercedes' attempts to control the Abu Dhabi situation added to the controversy, despite the team ultimately achieving a one-two finish and securing both championships.

Hamilton won 10 races in 2016 to Rosberg's nine, but the German claimed the drivers' crown before announcing his retirement days later.

"So yes, 10 years. It's crazy how fast time runs. It feels like it's maybe five years ago, but we've moved on from that," he added.

"My relationship and the team's relationship with Lewis is as strong as it can be whilst being rivals on track, and the same with Nico."