Mercedes Formula One drivers Lewis Hamilton of Britain (R) and Nico Rosberg of Germany pose with Ferrari Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany (L) after the qualifying session for the Mexican F1 Grand Prix at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. (Reuters)

Reuters/Mexico City

Mercedes have warned triple Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton and teammate Nico Rosberg to steer clear of controversy in Mexican Grand Prix.
The two drivers will line up again on the front row of the starting grid, a week after they banged wheels into the first corner of the title-deciding US Grand Prix in Austin with Rosberg coming off worst. Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff said the team’s position had been made clear to both, even if both championships were won already.
“We want to see them race and not pre-agree before the race even started who goes first through the corner and who goes second,” he told reporters. “It would make the whole thing a lot less exciting.
“We continue to support them in racing hard and optimising their result and of course for the team it is very important there is no controversy in the team—and obviously if the cars collided that is causing controversy.”
Wolff said there had been regular conversations since Austin, and there was no need to rake everything over.
“I have looked at the situation at turn one 30 times over the last week in order to make up my mind,” he said when asked whether Hamilton had been too hard.
“My conclusion is that both Nico and Lewis raced each other hard and it was under tricky circumstances in a difficult corner ... It was hard racing.”
Rosberg is fighting Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to finish second overall while Hamilton can still equal the record of 13 victories in a season if he triumphs in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
While Rosberg has secured the last four pole positions, Hamilton has won the last three races from second place and played down the importance of it. “When you finish your career, the races and championships are the things that really do matter so that’s what I run towards,” Hamilton said.
Mexico’s revamped circuit, which is hosting a race for the first time since 1992, has a long and fast run down to the first corner and Hamilton felt he was better placed to take advantage.
“I would imagine it is better to be behind,” he said, turning up the mind games.
“Coming into the weekend I thought about if I was on pole how it would be pretty difficult to hold off the guy behind because it’s a long way to slipstream someone.”

Mexican pole sitter Rosberg rejects ‘anger’ theory
Nico Rosberg rejected his Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff’s claim that he was motivated by anger when he secured pole position for Mexican Grand Prix. Instead, he said, he is tackling the race weekend as “business as usual”, keeping his head down and going on full attack, as always. Wolff, when asked what was driving Rosberg to take four successive poles, was brief and to the point.
“Angry” he said, with a broad smile. His reference to Rosberg’s anger was associated with the pair’s wheel-banging duel at the first corner of last Sunday’s United States Grand Prix  won by Hamilton, whose triumph secured the title. But Rosberg, who was disappointed at Hamilton’s actions in Austin and his decision to avoid clear-the-air talks or an apology for driving him off the track, rejected all suggestions that he is now motivated by anger. “No, definitely not,” he said. “No difference, just attack like always... I’m not angry, that wouldn’t be the (right) approach. “I just get my head down and keep going. (There are) three more races to go, business as usual... Full attack as always. I don’t really have a precise explanation here.
“I have felt good all weekend and doing great, found a good balance in qualifying and due to the engineers in team was able to push and do a really good lap.”
He said he had switched off from worrying about events in Austin and had no worries about battling Hamilton, who starts second on the grid in Sunday’s race, at the opening corner again.
He added also that nothing had changed and he had not had any talks with Hamilton.
“It is not different,” he said. “It will be a battle and what is in the past is in the past and now we move forward. “This is a good start for sure, starting from pole.
“It is the best place to start. There is a long run to Turn One and then it will be interesting.”  Rosberg has only won two of the last 10 races he has started from pole position and, with 20 poles, has more than any other driver who has not won a championship.