While Mercedes is unwilling to wash its dirty laundry in public, especially at a time it is celebrating a German world champion, it would appear that Lewis Hamilton's tactics in today's race have tested his relationship with the team.

At times lapping 9s slower than his pole-wining lap, Hamilton drove a deliberately slow race in an effort to force teammate, and title rival, Nico Rosberg, into the clutches of his rivals.

Despite the increasingly serious calls from his engineer Pete Bonnington to up his pace, the Briton carried on cruising, and when Paddy Lowe came on the radio instructing the Briton to speed up, still the world champion refused, even though the team feared his own position was at risk from Sebastian Vettel.

Speaking after the race, team boss Toto Wolff made it clear he was not happy.

"Undermining a structure in public means you are putting yourself before the team," he said. "It is very simple, anarchy does not work in any team and in any company.

"The other half of me, as a driver, says it was his only chance of winning the championship," he admitted, "and maybe you cannot demand of a racing driver that is one of the best, if not the best, to comply in a situation where his instincts cannot make him.

"It is about finding a solution as to how to solve that in the future," he continued, "because a precedent has been set. Let me sleep overnight and come up with a solution."

Asked if the Briton might face some sort of punishment, he admitted: "Everything is possible. Maybe we want to give them more freedom. Or take the more harsh side that we feel the values were not respected. I am not sure yet where my finger is going to point or the needle is going to go.

"You need to win and to lose with dignity," he concluded.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Pavlo, 29/11/2016 14:11

"scf1fan: not starting the race at all would have saved the team even more money. Or ordering them to get 1-2 even simpler - why would Mercedes say they "we will not interfere"?
But do you really think, that in this situation for this team that money for not getting 1-2 would really mean anything at all? Come on, Lewis would gladly pay that money from his pocket, really :)"

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2. Posted by Pavlo, 29/11/2016 14:08

"He said it all - he is really a bad manager.
1. "It is very simple, anarchy does not work in any team and in any company"
2. "you cannot demand of a racing driver that is one of the best, if not the best, to comply in a situation where his instincts cannot make him"
So if you are good manager, you don't tell demand your driver to lose the championship and you will not have an anarchy in your team.
Good manager would have given quite opposite order, and then, following *his* orders, he and his two drivers would "win with dignity" as he wished."

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3. Posted by scf1fan, 28/11/2016 22:56

"@Ro . . . I agree that for Hamilton to win the championship, backing Nico up was his only option. Where you miss the mark is that Lewis and Nico ARE team mates, and team mates should not "win" by (knowingly) making their team mates "lose!" (So how does your analogy work then?) Also, forcing Nico back down the order would have cost the team money; and perhaps, cost the other members of the team money as well. (I.E. Through performance bonuses.) I'm sure they would have all been saying "Thank's Lewis!" if Max had put a move on Nico and taken them both out of the race.

Lewis is a great driver, he is not a great sportsman."

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4. Posted by Ro, 28/11/2016 16:48

"What Hamilton did was his only option. If you look at football, in a final, once one team scores, all 11 players defend. To drive an F1 car slowly is more difficult. At least it made it exciting and thats what we all have been gagging for. Wait for next year....
"

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5. Posted by Willie, 28/11/2016 15:14

"I expect that Rosberg will make a worthy champion, but Hamilton is still clearly the fastest driver out there.
Mercedes is going to need all his skill next year to stay ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull, especially Verstappen."

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6. Posted by testa rossa, 28/11/2016 13:20

"What is wrong with you @becker , why such a pathetic post. "

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7. Posted by becker666, 28/11/2016 11:11

"Nico knew LH antics try to pass and he'd be pushed off track and lose the podium, that is what LH was waiting for , he didn't take the bait and it paid off"

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8. Posted by FormerF1Fan, 28/11/2016 10:08

"I get a stinky feeling about this from both Hamilton and the team. I think they both knew this would happen and both colluded and concocted the orders and responses before the race even started. There's not a snowball's chance in hell that Hamilton will be reprimanded..."

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9. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 28/11/2016 9:04

"Lewis was always going to drive like this once in front, otherwise he might just have waived Nico by, shame on the team for trying to interfere, Lewis to Ferrari in 2018?"

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10. Posted by Superbird70, 28/11/2016 1:32

"At the beginning of the season I wanted Rosberg to win. I figured that he was due. But driving not to lose in the last 4 races while his teammate was winning wasn't the best way to impress as a champion. Hamilton for all of his faults never gave up trying to win. In the end, Mercedes has their double title and should be happy. This race was least entertaining. Hopefully next year there will be more than a choice of two coming into the last race of the season."

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11. Posted by Hondaunearthed, 28/11/2016 1:03

"Clearly you two have never played a sport before and if you have id now question your commitment to the particular sport.
When people participate in sport they are out to win, not gift the opposition a win. So just have a second to think about it, why would you dismiss Hamilton? Because he has drive and motivation to be the best and win? Mercedes for the past 3 seasons has said the team comes first, fair enough, the constructors was wrapped up long ago, team got what they want. Now it is only one of THEIR drives that can be champion so what does it matter if one does anything he can to win. How is that anarchy? Well done Nico for winning."

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12. Posted by Kico28n, 28/11/2016 0:46

"I'm with you Mugmug. Best driver around or not he showed the world yet again just what a flawed human being & poor sportsman he really is. Congrats to Nico. Credit where credit due, he really did deserve the championship this year - not that you will ever convince the "it was a conspiracy I tell ya" Hamilton Fan Boy club."

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13. Posted by Mugmug, 28/11/2016 0:04

"If Mercedes had any balls, he'd be gone immediately. Hamilton does not deserve any respect. For that matter, neither does Mercedes if they keep him. ( I am not a Rosberg fan)"

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Wolff describes Hamilton's tactics as anarchy

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