Mercedes: No plans to rein in drivers

Mercedes have no intention of changing their philosophy of letting Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton race freely on track, despite the tensions that broke out between the pair in China.

While the Silver Arrows approach has led to several flashpoints - most notably at Spa last year, when Rosberg and Hamilton collided - head of motorsport Toto Wolff says the team embrace and control the inevitable strains that emerge as a result.

As such, he says the team have made sure repercussions from Shanghai - when Rosberg suggested Hamilton's pace had compromised his race - will not linger into this weekend's 2015 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

"We saw tensions between Nico and Lewis in the race and we tackled them directly on Sunday night to stop anything carrying over to this weekend," Wolff explained.

"When you have intense competition, it's normal that it causes emotions to run high - and that's not something we want to change.

"But both drivers are now very focused on delivering maximum performance in Bahrain and our package should cope well with the demands of the circuit. We maintain our philosophy of letting the drivers race - but they both know that the number one priority for the team is to win for Mercedes-Benz."

Wolff admitted that the increased threat from Ferrari was introducing new challenges for his team, adding: "We scored a strong one-two finish, but China also confirmed that Ferrari will be a threat in all conditions this year, not just when it's very hot.

"We will have new challenges to face as a team, with another competitor who is much closer to our level of performance."

Rosberg said on Monday that his disagreement with Hamilton was already in the past following "intense" post-race discussions.