Toto Wolff has addressed the collision between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in Qatar for the first time, praising the duo for their reactions.
At Turn 1 at Lusail, Hamilton attempted to go around the outside of Russell and pole-sitter Max Verstappen having made the better start on his Soft compound tyres compared to Mediums of the other two.
However, the right-rear of Hamilton's car tagged Russell's front-left putting the seven-time World Champion out of the race while Russell recovered to fourth.
Wollf missed the Qatar race on doctor's orders after being told to rest after recovering from knee surgery before the Japanese GP - which he also skipped, meaning he has not addressed the crash, in public, until now.
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Wolff's reaction to Qatar clash
"The last round in Qatar was a case of what might have been," he explained.
"As a team, you never want to see your cars collide. It was frustrating to leave a lot of points on the table, particularly as the pace of the car was strong.
"It was encouraging though to see how the drivers and the team reacted. Both Lewis and George know the team comes first and do not ever intend to jeopardise that.
"I am sure we will all grow from this moment. We're now focused on Austin and making sure we get the most out of each upcoming weekend."
Looking ahead to the race weekend in Texas, Wolff hailed the Circuit of the Americas, with the team set to bring a vital upgrade to the W14.
"It's always great to race at the Circuit of the Americas, there's a fantastic atmosphere and the city welcomes F1 with open arms," he explained.
"COTA is one of the most challenging modern tracks and a real thrill for the drivers. We'll be bringing a modified floor, which is the last significant update we will take to the track this year.
"It will hopefully bring a small gain but more importantly, is another milestone in setting our development path for W15."
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