The rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg is often quoted as one of the most intense and fierce rivalries in the sport. Part of the reason for this is the extent to which they battled each other on the track, but it is also because, once upon a time, they were the closest of friends who got divided as bitter enemies in pursuit of greatness. A precursor of what was to come was evident from the very first day Hamilton set foot into the Silver Arrows’ campus at Brackley.
In a video uploaded to Mercedes’ official Instagram account, commemorating the 11th anniversary of Hamilton’s first day with the team, Hamilton was quoted as saying, “Yesterday, Nico was on it [the simulator] all day, and then he stopped for about 10 minutes, and I got in and had a couple of runs on the 2013 car. I went a little bit quicker than him, but…”
Despite a few frequent jibes like this, here and there, the two got along well in that first year in 2013. The team was not competitive and was not in contention for the title that year. However, from 2014 onwards, as Mercedes embarked on their dominant run, things got heated pretty quickly and divided the two garages.
From the very first race of the 2014 season, it was evident how intense the rivalry was going to get. The 2014 Bahrain GP is dubbed the ‘Duel in the Desert‘ owing to that epic race-long battle for the win between Hamilton and Rosberg. 2014 and 2015 served some really stand-out moments between the duo. However, the rivalry reached its peak during the 2016 F1 season.
2016 was the final nail in the coffin for Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s relationship
Going into 2016, Nico Rosberg was in fine form. Despite losing out on the 2015 championship to the Briton, the German was aware that this was his best shot at defeating Hamilton and taking the title for himself. In all fairness, the gloves were finally off.
The 2016 Spanish GP is probably the most infamous moment in the history of the team. Into turn 4, on the very first lap, an aggressive maneuver by the Mercedes drivers meant that the two had taken each other out. Going into the season, the two came together again at the Austrian GP in the very last lap. This time, Rosberg came off worse. Running P1, he eventually finished 4th with a broken front wing.
Things really got out of hand after the Spanish GP. In the aftermath, Toto Wolff even took stern action against both drivers by reportedly handing them a grave and final warning. Eventually, Rosberg prevailed as he won his maiden title. Promptly, during the FIA prize gala later that year, he announced he was retiring.
Since then, the two have been on talking terms. Rosberg has even defended his ex-teammate as a pundit on more than one occasion. The German believes that Hamilton is one of the top 5 world champions in the history of the sport.
