Toto Wolff says Mercedes' "rules of engagement" will remain in place for Lewis Hamilton and new teammate Valtteri Bottas, albeit with revisions to avoid a repeat of the controversy from Nico Rosberg's time at the team.
Hamilton's last-lap collision with former teammate Rosberg in Austria last year forced Mercedes to tighten up its internal rules, leaving the pair free to race, albeit with deterrents in place to prevent further incidents. The overall theme of the internal policy was that both men should "respect the values of the team" at all times when racing each other.
The pair did not collide again in 2016 but Hamilton broke the rule at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as he looked to overturn huge odds to win the title. Hamilton attempted to back Rosberg into the chasing pack in the hope he dropped out of podium contention, which he needed to have any hope of winning the title, a tactic he continued despite a direct order from the Mercedes pit wall. Mercedes later admitted it had been wrong to issue Hamilton a team order.
Rosberg's retirement and the arrival of Bottas was seen as a natural end to the frosty atmosphere of recent seasons, though team boss Wolff thinks it is logical for internal guidelines to evolve every year.
When asked if the rules of engagement would continue into 2017, Wolff said: "That is an internal paper that has grown over the years, with experience. Still, when you look at Abu Dhabi it proved to have blank spots. So it's something you want to continue to do and develop for the benefit of the team, the drivers and the spectators.
"The basic concept will stay in place, we are maybe going to call it differently and trim it a little bit, add the bits that were missing, but not make it a complex regulation."
The relationship between Hamilton and Rosberg became strained because of the pressure of being the only title contenders for three consecutive seasons. Wolff admits the emphasis on its internal rules may not be as important if Mercedes is not the dominant car in 2017.
"We have to see how the season gets started anyway, it might be completely different in terms of the dynamics between the drivers and the dynamic with other teams. But the basic concept stays, yes."