Wolff reveals Mercedes was this close to issuing a team order in Belgium

Mercedes considered team orders in Belgium Grand Prix

Russell crossed the finish line first but eventually had to cede his victory to teammate Hamilton as his Formula 1 car proved too light. Even before the disqualification, Wolff interacted with the media present at Spa-Francorchamps and explained how the race went for his team.

Hamilton drove within DRS distance of Russell for laps but did not pass him. Meanwhile, Piastri was approaching with great strides in his McLaren. Wolff was not considering team orders at the time but admits he might have if the race had lasted longer.

"If we had one more lap, that could have been a consideration," acknowledges the 52-year-old Austrian. "But I'm happy that we didn't have to make a swap." In the end, Piastri finished third, just behind Hamilton. Both drivers gained a place due to the disqualification of Russell, whose F1 car was found to be one-and-a-half kilograms too light when weighed by the FIA. Meanwhile, Mercedes has an inkling of what caused that.

Why Hamilton got different strategy to Russell

Whereas a one-stop for Russell - who suggested the idea himself - turned out to be a successful strategy, the team did not see the same tactic as an option for Hamilton. "As a driver, you don't have the full picture because he said his tyres were good. But at that time nobody was on a one-stop strategy," Wolff explained.

"We had to think about the cars behind us and they all logically made a two-stop, so it just wasn't an option. What we did with Lewis was absolutely the right choice. That a one-stop was possible was not foreseeable. If it had been, every other top team would have done it."

This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy