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Mercedes F1's Wolff thinks double points key for Hamilton, Rosberg

Mercedes is predicting that Formula 1's controversial double points rule will keep Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton's 2014 title fight going until the last race

With little to separate the two drivers in terms of pace, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says there is no alarm about the 22-point gap that has opened up between them thanks to Hamilton suffering a second retirement of the season in the Canadian Grand Prix.

And he has told Hamilton that, with 50 points available for the last race of the campaign, there is no reason for the Briton to feel that his F1 title hopes are slipping away.

Asked whether Hamilton's championship challenge was now in danger, Wolff replied: "No, I wouldn't say that.

"How many races are we into the season? Seven. So we have another 13 because we have double points."

When asked if double points for the last race in Abu Dhabi could actually be the saviour of Hamilton's campaign, Wolff said: "It could. But I have no doubt that first of all we have to be careful about talking of an easy home run now.

"You can see Red Bull scored massive points in Canada and you can lose that gap pretty quickly.

"But I guess between the two of them [Rosberg and Hamilton] it will come back to an end of season [decider] with double points."

Wolff also made clear that the unexpected overheating problems that caused its troubles in Canada showed that Mercedes should take nothing for granted about its pace.

"It is bizarre," he explained. "But it shows that when we have been so diligent with all the systems you can still have a little witch in the system, which you don't judge as being really important.

"Then with all the intelligence and all the systems you have, it shuts down the whole MGU-K and you cannot reset it."

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