Brawn: Mercedes made the right decision

Thus no surprise that Brawn agreed with the unpopular team orders call made by his former Mercedes team during the Russian Grand Prix, which gifted victory to their title contender Lewis Hamilton at the expense of teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Much has been written since then about the saga, with the consensus being that it was the right decision to make but not a pleasant one. Credit to team chief Toto Wolff for accepting the role of bad guy who forced Bottas to take one for the team.

Reflecting on the race weekend at Sochi Autodrom, Brawn said, "I reckon the German team's decision was the right one. The primary aim for a team is to get the best possible result for both championships and that's what they did."

"I have found myself in this situation many times in the past and personally, I always believed the collective interest of the team comes before that of an individual driver."

"It may not be easily accepted by the fans, nor look good for the sport, and that is where the team have to judge the circumstances and make their decision. I can understand Bottas' frustration, as he had a great weekend, demonstrating how well the Sochi track suits him, but team-orders are part of the sport."

"Also, it's always better to apply them in a transparent manner, rather than trying to hide it, something we have seen sometimes in the past, which raised accusations of deception," added Brawn.