Mercedes F1 team says its drivers must continue to share data
Mercedes insists it will not change its policy of allowing its drivers to look at each other's data, despite the likelihood that they will be fighting for the Formula 1 title
Lewis Hamilton revealed in Bahrain that gains he had made in Malaysia in terms of extracting better tyre life and fuel use had been wiped away after Nico Rosberg carefully studied his telemetry.
Although such a policy may fuel some tensions going forward, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has made it clear that his team will not allow any barriers to come down between the two sides of the garage.
"The open information policy is something that we will always continue to have," said Wolff.
"It is a rule that both sides of the garage are open and transparent with each other.
"But, we have to be realistic. They [the drivers] have to try to find the edge, and maybe they will hold a little bit back until the last bit of the qualifying session, which is absolutely normal.
"But there will be no such thing as working on your side of the garage and not sharing that information, because both drivers know where the team have come from.
"We are in a very lucky position that we are able to be in front at the moment and we want to maintain that spirit and philosophy."
Hamilton has vowed to go away from Bahrain and study what Rosberg did to get the edge in pace terms at Sakhir.
Rosberg himself reckons that complete transparency of data is the best way forward to prevent problems developing.
"Everything is open," he said. "Everything can be seen and everything can be found. The thing is that there is so much [data] that you will never be able to see everything.
"We spend so much time in that engineering room, optimising every single detail that there is no way the other guy is going to be able to follow everything.
"You find bits and pieces all the time, but there is too much. So it is everything on the table and it has to be like that of course."
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