Mercedes' freedom to race is wishful thinking

According to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will have more freedom to battle each other on track this season.

Mercedes has previously allowed its drivers to race but within limitations, including boundaries on how far their strategies could differ from each other.

Stood between his two charges like a mediator at last week's pre-season launch event in Stuttgart, Wolff declared Mercedes had loosened the shackles. But, given the team's success in the last couple of years, why tweak the policy now?

Mercedes has to rein in its control over the drivers anyway, given there will be stricter enforcement of the regulations requiring each driver to drive their car 'alone and unaided' this season. But Wolff suggested the dominance of the last two seasons had also afforded Mercedes some more wriggle room.

"When we started the project in 2013, there was lot of pressure on the team in order to win races," he said. "We have done OK. In 2014, we won the championship and we confirmed it wasn't a one-off in 2015. In order to do that, we tried to put framework around that.

"Sometimes it functions, sometimes it doesn't. We learned some interesting lessons and we improved as an organisation. We owe it to Lewis and Nico and we owe it to Formula 1 to let them race. The ride will be a bit more difficult but I think that is absolutely necessary."

Wolff was speaking on the eve of the new season at a time when Formula 1 has been criticised heavily - even by its world champion, with Hamilton readily agreeing with a suggestion it is "broken". So the prospect of a battle between its drivers provides a much-needed shot in the arm for F1. It's a nice thing to be able to do, but tricky to go through with when the chips are down.

Towards the end of last season, in Mexico and Brazil, Hamilton questioned the team's strategic calls as he tried to beat Rosberg. On both occasions, he was denied the opportunity to change, but Mercedes achieved a one-two finish. Employing a less restrictive code of conduct would put that type of result at risk.

In Mexico, Mercedes pitted both drivers conservatively because there was a concern for tyre wear. Had it adhered to Hamilton's request to change tactics and therefore adjust the strategy windows in an attempt to pass Rosberg for the lead, the race could have been compromised.

In order to be fair to both drivers, Rosberg would have been given the same freedom and therefore would probably have run longer, too. That would have put the result of both cars at risk and eroded the safety margin Mercedes' pace had given them.

Hamilton's gamble may have worked and he may have got ahead of Rosberg but it could have been at the expense of losing a position to one or two other cars. Mercedes could have ended up with a three-four rather than a one-two. Not bad for Hamilton if Rosberg is his chief rival, but not good for the team in terms of the constructors' championship.

First and foremost, Mercedes' priority is delivering to the board. If the drivers battle each other all season long and Mercedes wins both titles, there is no problem - even if it proves to be more stressful. But if there's a repeat of 2014 when Rosberg and Hamilton made contact at Spa and points and championships are put in jeopardy more than once, it's difficult to see how Mercedes will be able to maintain this approach.

This season, it looks like Ferrari will provide a sterner challenge. Both Hamilton and Rosberg suggest that it will be much closer this year between the two teams. Should that challenge materialise on a more regular basis, can Mercedes really afford to stick to its plan to let its drivers race each other?

Ferrari threatened last season, but it was not sustained throughout the year. That meant that, all too often, Mercedes was able to plan its races from the front with minimal threat from behind.

Allowing your drivers to race when you have a buffer eases the pressure. When that dominance was threatened on occasion, cracks began to emerge. How will Mercedes cope if Ferrari is able to challenge more regularly?

In Monaco, the team made a split-second error in a safety-car period that meant Hamilton lost a certain victory to Rosberg and a position to Sebastian Vettel as well.

In Malaysia, Ferrari's threat was clear. A decision to use the medium tyres in the first part of qualifying meant Mercedes only had one fresh set for the race. That forced it to use the hards in the final stint, a call Hamilton questioned, because its only other option was a used set of mediums. Vettel and Ferrari took a then-shock win.

Admittedly, those two examples are just small errors in an otherwise faultless season. But they are proof that if you put Mercedes under pressure it can be beaten.

When asked if it would be a risk if Mercedes did not change its framework should Ferrari challenge seriously, Wolff said: "No, I don't think so. We are reducing the rules because we have got more comfortable in working with each other." He then pointed to the move coinciding with the regulation changes to reduce guidance from teams to drivers.

Wolff would like his drivers to race because that is what they want and keeping the peace will be a key factor in ensuring continued success. But it will have to be pragmatic because Mercedes' F1 funding and presence rely on that same continued success.

Making the declaration in a pre-season press conference is one thing, but when sat on the pitwall with intense pressure from Vettel or Kimi Raikkonen and a race win on the line, will it be so easy?

Mercedes has done and will continue to do F1 a good service if it keeps team orders to a minimum and allows Rosberg and Hamilton fight on track. The 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix remains the most thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle of the last few years.

But if things get heated, as they have done in the past, Mercedes will have to step in and ask its drivers to obey. That will not go down well with Hamilton or Rosberg - nor the fans - but it is something that comes with the territory when you employ two top-line drivers.

Ultimately, it is trophies that matter to those who pay the bills and ensuring they are placed in the cabinet at the end of the season will be at the heart of every strategic decision, whatever is said now.