Toto Wolff dismisses idea that Nico Rosberg's Monza error was deliberate

Toto Wolff laughed off suggestions that Nico Rosberg’s mistake which handed Lewis Hamilton victory in the Italian GP was, in fact, something more sinister.

Rosberg was leading Sunday’s race before he locked up under braking at the Rettifilo chicane and took to the escape road on lap 29, allowing his Mercedes team-mate past.

Yet no sooner had the title leader made the error than some fans smelled a rat: was it in fact orchestrated by the team as payback for Rosberg’s controversial collision with Hamilton at Spa?

Social media went into overdrive, with the sceptics finding an ally in the shape of three-time World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart.

Wolff was seen smiling on television the moment Hamilton took the lead and yet the Mercedes team boss was incredulous when it was suggested that his reaction had given the game away.

“What is really crazy is that whoever picks that up and tries to interpret anything must be out of his mind,” he said. “First of all it’s not live, so whenever the camera is pointing at you the signal comes later, so it wasn’t synchronised with the picture.

“I feel like Big Brother is watching; I will hide in the engineering office next time!”

Technical problems at the start meant that Hamilton made a sluggish start from pole position, allowing Rosberg to take the lead.

However, the Briton fought his way back from fourth place and was bearing down on Rosberg when the German, who had already run off track at the same chicane, then did it again.

“When the two were closing up to each other there was a smile – ‘Here we go again, in a close battle’. That was the smile,” Wolff explained.

“There was lots of pressure on Nico because Lewis was so quick yesterday and you could see that today as well.”

Rosberg also dismissed the theory. “What would be the reason for me to do something like that deliberately? There is no possible reason,” he was quoted as saying in The Independent.

"If you're ordered by the team to do it then you would do it, but there is no reason why the team would ask me to change position, or something like that.

"The only thing in people's minds could be Spa, but Spa was a mistake which I've apologised for.

"It's not something where I have to give back something. Mistakes happen and that's the way it is, (I make) an apology and on we go.”

Hamilton’s win enabled him to cut Rosberg’s title lead to 22 points with six races – including Abu Dhabi’s double points finale – still to run.

But even though Rosberg has been at fault in both the last two races, Wolff doesn’t think it means he’s wilting under the pressure.

“I think mentally he’s very strong and if you want to be a World Champion you have to go through lows and highs,” he added.

“Lewis had many of them and he came back and we saw Nico come back after Silverstone, so I guess he has the mental strength.”