Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has clarified the team’s radio communication with Valtteri Bottas regardin♍g the use of an engine mode to attack teammate Lewis Hamꦫilton during the Belgian Grand Prix.

In th🅺e early exchanges of Sunday’s 44-lap race at Spa-Francorchamps, Bottas was heard asking if he had “one push” in a bid to try and catch Hamilton as he looked to get within DRS range.

Although Bottas’ race engineer confir🐓med he did have the mode available to use, he reminded the Finn that “we agreed not to use it against each other”.

Bottas replied: “I don’t remember that.”

Hamilton ultimately cruised to his fifth victory 🉐of the 2020 season as Bottas completed a Mercedes 1-2 ahead of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

Wolff explained after the race that Mercedes had agr𒅌eed with its drivers to limit the use of the high-performance modes in case they needed to defend from Verstappen.

🐟“There’s no rules in place between the two drivers,” Wolff said. “They are allowed and free to race.

“In the morn💫ing we agreed and discussed that we obviously have a limited amount of overtakes and that we would try not to use them against each other, or the last one a🍸gainst each other, because there is always the risk of needing it against Max or any other car.

“This is what we were referrin🍨g to aღnd with Valtteri, obviously, this was maybe a miscommunication between him and some of the guys. And that is why we reiterated it.”

Aft🔯er losing ground to Bottas for the sixth consecutive race, the Finn now finds himsel🙈f 50 points adrift of Hamilton in the world championship standings.

Bottas remains behind Verstappen in third spot, though he has clos𒈔ed to within three points of the Red 🐈Bull driver.