Mercedes squad brag Toto Wolf says this year's Formula 1 rubric contention could extremity successful the aforesaid arguable manner arsenic the 1989 and 1990 championships.
Those 2 titles were decided by crashes betwixt arch-rivals Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, arsenic atrocious humor betwixt the 2 boiled implicit into outright hostility.
Prost won the 1989 title aft colliding with his then-teammate Senna, portion the Brazilian was the victor successful 1990 after simply driving Prost disconnected the road successful Japan.
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The 1997 satellite rubric besides ended successful controversy, erstwhile Michael Schumacher tried, but failed, to destruct Jacques Villeneuve astatine the past race. The Canadian won the title, portion Schumacher was stripped of his 2nd place.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen person already had a fig of run-ins successful 2021, astir notably astatine Silverstone and Monza.
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At the British Grand Prix, Verstappen was taken to infirmary aft a 50G interaction with the wall, portion astatine the Italian race, the Red Bull car ended up connected apical of Hamilton's Mercedes, albeit astatine comparatively debased speed.
Just 12 points separates the 2 drivers with 5 races remaining.
"If it was to travel to the script of the past contention successful Abu Dhabi and they were to beryllium racing each different for the title, whoever is successful beforehand is perfectly going to effort to bash the aforesaid arsenic successful the Senna-Prost years," Wolff told the Daily Mail.
"What happened successful Monza? Verstappen took Lewis retired due to the fact that helium was astir to overtake and helium was quicker. And that is wholly understandable. If you are racing for the title and you spot it fading distant due to the fact that the different feline is overtaking you, what instrumentality person you got different than the 1 that makes definite helium can't overtake?
"We've seen it with Schumacher and Villeneuve, we saw it with Senna and Prost twice."
Wolff conceded that erstwhile the drivers are connected way there's thing the squad tin bash to forestall an disfigured extremity to the championship.
"I would ne'er springiness the acquisition to clang into anyone other but if they spell to that past contention and whoever is successful beforehand wins the championship, they volition beryllium racing each other, hard," Wolff said.
"I don't deliberation you tin power it, Hamilton and Verstappen, I don't deliberation you privation to power it due to the fact that they are the gladiators successful their machines. That is what makes this athletics truthful interesting, due to the fact that it is ingrained successful our quality that we don't similar confrontation and past 1 is intrigued to spot however that narration unfolds.
"If they clang are they going to face each other? What are they going to say? Will they look successful each others' eyes? We would not interfere. The narration is sorted retired betwixt the individuals."
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