Wolff 'trusts' his drivers to keep it clean

Cape Town - With Formula 1's biggest prize on the line, Toto Wolff trusts that Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will race "sportsmanlike" in Sunday's title showdown.

Rosberg heads into the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with the advantage in the standings as he leads Hamilton by 12 points.

It is, however, the Brit who has the advantage on the track having claimed pole position by 0.303s around the Yas Marina circuit.

The permutations in the championship race boil down to a podium finish for Rosberg guarantees him the World title while Hamilton needs a top-three result just to stand a chance.

And with it all on the line this Sunday, Wolff is confident his drivers will keep it clean, adding that Mercedes won't interfere in the battle.

The Mercedes motorsport boss said: "We've let them race until now, they both know what we deem as being sportsmanlike.

"But then there is a lot at stake, there's a World Championship to be won or lost. I think both of them will have thought about all possibilities. 

"For us, as long as we are not overstepping the mark in what as we see as being sportsmanlike driving, we are fine, I think we need to let them go.

"We don't want to change the rules for tomorrow [Sunday], because it would be wrong that for the one title decider we would turn everything upside down that we have developed in the last couple of years.

"The drivers are great sportsmen, and they know what it would mean, overstepping the line, it would cause a lot of controversy. 

"Therefore I trust that this is going to go well, for the benefit of the team, and the team spirit, and the effort that has been given, and the fans."