Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda has clarified remarks he made about Lewis Hamilton's conduct in Baku and the relationship the British driver has with Nico Rosberg.
In an interview with Servus TV, Lauda said Hamilton damaged his driver room after crashing in qualifying in Baku and lied when he claimed his relationship with teammate Nico Rosberg was "really, really good". Mercedes has since issued a statement clarifying the comments of its chairman and claiming they were taken out of context.
The statement said: "Following his appearance on a television discussion show on Servus TV recorded prior to last weekend's Austrian GP, Niki Lauda would like to set the record straight and state the following:
"Lewis Hamilton did not in any way damage a hotel room or his private driver room at the circuit during the race weekend in Baku; and
"Lewis Hamilton did not lie about his relationship with team-mate Nico Rosberg.
"Niki regrets any misunderstanding caused by comments that have been blown wildly out of proportion compared with the casual context in which they were made."
The broadcast of Lauda's comments followed a controversial collision between Hamilton and Rosberg as they fought over the lead of the Austrian Grand Prix. Mercedes is considering introducing team orders ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix to prevent a repeat happening this season.