An unearthed video shows Lewis Hamilton denying his friendship with his former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.
While Nico Rosberg has been praising Lewis Hamilton as the “best of all time,” an old video from 2014 reveals the bitter rivalry between the two champions.
Recently, the former F1 race driver gave out some tips for Max Verstappen on how to beat the seven-time world champion in the current season. Rosberg even claimed that Hamilton is more naturally gifted than legend Michael Schumacher.
When Mercedes delivered a completely dominant car in 2014, the championship became a two-horse race, creating a fierce rivalry that deteriorated the childhood friendship.
Capping off the 2015 title fight in Austin 😮🧢💨
Hamilton 🆚 Rosberg#USGP 🇺🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/yvxjdFYLwi
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2021
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The champions first became karting teammates at McLaren in 2000 when they were teenagers. However, in an unburied video, while the pair were still teammates [at Mercedes], a Sky Sports interviewer asked Hamilton if he would “mend bridges with his friend”.
The driver bluntly replied, “Well, we’re not friends. We are colleagues and we will work with the team to get as many one-twos and points as possible.”
The interviewer further questioned Hamilton, “Does the fact you’ve known each other for a very long time not count for anything in terms of friendship?”
Hamilton seemed struck by the question and unenthusiastically replied, “Maybe.”
Competition both on and off the track
In 2014 Hamilton accused Rosberg of willfully crashing into him “to prove a point” during the controversial Belgian Grand Prix. The drivers collided as Rosberg attempted to overtake Hamilton, which caused Hamilton to suffer a puncture and retire from the race.
Again in 2016, they clashed in Austria, and Hamilton controversially claimed the pole position. Robert Kubica, who raced with both drivers before F1, recalled how they would be competitive both on and off the track and said, “they would even have races to eat pizza, always eating two at a time.”
Hamilton bagged the F1 world championship title twice during their time as teammates, while Rosberg claimed victory once in 2016 before retiring. However, the Mercedes team dominated the championship for over four seasons, winning 54 of 78 races.
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