As the Mercedes pair battled Felipe Massa, the Brackley team sent out its pit crew in an attempt to fool its rivals into thinking the team was to make an early stop and thereby force Williams into a change of strategy.

Whilst its plan failed and the team escaped censure, Charlie Whiting has warned against any repeats by Mercedes or its rivals.

"Going into the pit lane like this, for no valid reason, is not allowed but the difficulty would be proving it was a clear breach," he admitted. "I have no intention of giving them a few chances and will talk to all the teams in Hungary about this, warning them that we will want to see (and hear) evidence that they were actually intending to stop."

Wolff has since admitted the ploy, revealing that following the move he was sent a message by his wife Susie, who is test driver for Williams, in which she said the Grove outfit was aware what he was up to.

"We thought if the race stayed dry they wouldn't make the tyres last," he admitted. "It was a bit of a dummy call and it was fun to do.

"I got a text message: 'Are you guys trying to bluff us, or what?'" he confirmed, admitting that the message was from his wife. "I'm having an Indian alone tonight," he added.

Later that evening he tweeted a picture of himself and his wife outside an Indian restaurant. It was captioned: "No Indian alone. Love not war... but only after the race."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Spindoctor, 10/07/2015 15:27

"@Canuck
I think the point us that there might have been - a Marussia, Williams or RBR. In this case there wasn't of course...
Do you want to complicate it further with one rule when there are cars in the PL and another when there aren't?
Would this be limited to when there is a car actually in the pit lane (as defined by the 60 limit)? or would the approach and exit areas count too?

Personally (and unusually) I rather agree with FIA in this case. the fewer bodies in the pit lane the better, and a blanket rule like this is simpler than the alternative hinted at above."

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2. Posted by Canuck, 10/07/2015 11:16

"@TheBucketOfTruth - How can it be a safety issue if there is no car in the pit lane?"

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3. Posted by Paul C, 10/07/2015 3:46

"Nanny officials! Why not do a pit stop fake? Bernie can send me the current F1 rules. I'll read it and laugh as I shred it and mix it up with dead kitty litter so it can't be reassembled."

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4. Posted by The stogie, 10/07/2015 1:35

"Trick plays have been used for years in many different sports. If other teams can be sucked in then more power to the team(s) doing the tricking!!! But then again the 'officials' in F1 have VERY thin skins and they are ruining the sport with their micro-managing, nit-picking decisions."

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5. Posted by Joop deBruin, 09/07/2015 21:48

"So they're not allowed to keep Lewie from crying by giving him a dummy?"

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6. Posted by Canuck, 09/07/2015 21:33

"Very simple solution -- no one in the pit lane until the care enters pit lane. Why does everything in F1 need to be complicated. They can have the tires in hand and the air guns in hand at the mouth of the garage, but not in the pit lane. Once the car has entered the pit lane then the can go in place. "

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7. Posted by TheBucketOfTruth, 09/07/2015 18:52

"@ Oldbuzzard
I think the reason they aren't allowed to do it is on safety grounds. I agree it shouldn't really be an issue, but it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt or killed that didn't even need to be in the pit lane in the first place. I think that's the FIA's view."

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8. Posted by Oldbuzzard, 09/07/2015 16:45

"Charlie is good friend of mine, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with everything he does. This is ridiculous. What difference does it make if a team runs a ruse? If the other team(s) fall for it shame on them. And what a crowd pleaser! It's intrigue, it's funny, it's showing you pulled off a fast one on your competitors. It's exactly what F1 NEEDS Right NOW!
If the other team can't develop a race strategy and stick to it out of confidence,then they deserve to be duped.
Bernie is 100% right. Tear up the frigging rule book and start over."

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FIA warns on 'dummy' pit stops

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