Has the Hamilton-Rosberg rivalry turned a little too sour?

Lewis Hamilton with Nico Rosberg and the latter’s family

You rarely see camaraderie on a racing track. While Formula One drivers might be the best of pals off the racing track, they are no less than gladiators on it. Just when one thought teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were buidling up a good-natured but thrilling contest for the 2014 drivers’ championship, things have started to get ugly between the two.

A childhood friendship no more?

It was clear from the pre-season testing that Mercedes were a cut above the rest of the teams, and that teams like Red-Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari needed a miracle of sorts to catch up with the Silver Arrows. And so it transpired, as Mercedes pulled away in the early races during the first half of the season. But what stands out is how the batttle for the top position has gone from bad to worse, which was not expected by most people considering Rosberg and Hamilton have known and raced each other since their karting days.

While the rivalry had existed since the time Hamilton moved from Mclaren to join Mercedes last year, it had always remained under the carpet, with both the drivers maintaining that they were really good friends and that healthy competition amongst them would eventually help the team achive higher goals. But as evident from the turn of events in 2014, the intensity of the rivalry was bound to come out in the open sooner or later, with both drivers believing they have a shot at the drivers’ title as Mercedes managed to compile a magnificent turbo-charged engine.

Bahrain – where it all began

Rosberg, after starting from, pole lost the lead to Hamilton heading into the first corner. What followed was a wheel-to-wheel duel between the two drivers till the end of the race, with both drivers getting extremely close to a collision and the Brit having to resort to some brilliant defensive driving.

Rosberg was unimpressed with his team-mate’s driving as Hamilton cut across the German to re-take the lead and eventually win the race. Rosberg had to be content with a close second.

Spain – the duel gets intense

Before Spain, Hamilton had won three races on the trot and Rosberg was itching to get his second win of the season. But Hamilton got his fourth pole of the season at Barcelona and again had the initiative.

It was another dash for the chequered flag as Hamilton hung on to the lead despite his tyres degrading faster. Rosberg, on a better compound, came close to taking away the race lead, but couldn’t get the job done. The titanic battle brought out the team’s different pit-stop and tyre strategy into the open and left Rosberg to sulk with the idea that he was put at a disadvantage. There were also talks that Hamilton had switched on to a different engine mode.

Hamilton led the championship by 3 points after the Spanish Grand Prix.

Monaco – media bytes

Hamilton wears his heart on his sleeve, which was evident as he went about comparing his and Rosberg’s upbringing very bluntly in the media. What followed was even more surprising for F1 fans. After setting the fastest time in qualifying, Rosberg went off track, in the process denying Hamilton, who was behind him, a chance to set his potential pole acquiring time.

Stewards later cleared Rosberg of any wrong-doing. Rosberg won from pole at his home Grand Prix and Hamilton had to be content with second spot on the podium with a dirt-in-the-eye scare that prevented him from going ahead with a challenge on his German teammate.

With his second win of the season the German went on to take the lead in the championship race once again.

Budapest – Hungary for more

In Budapest it was the team’s turn to get involved in the battle as they asked Hamilton let his team-mate pass through, who could have fought for the win. But Hamilton defied the team orders and finished third ahead of his teammate.

While Hamilton was surprised with the orders and justified his position on not allowing Rosberg to move ahead, the Mercedes team and Rosberg were left fuming.

Belgium – time to get dirty

The race in Spa ended badly for Hamilton through no fault of his own. In what was termed as a horrific move to take the lead, Rosberg’s fierce cut on the track gave Hamilton's car a punctured tire and effectively put him out of the race.

Rosberg eventually ended up on the podium in second place but was greeted with boos from the fans who were not happy with his ill-fated manouvre on the British driver.

A thrilling finish in store

This is not the last that we have heard of the rivalry. With a 22-point difference between the two drivers at the moment, things can get even murkier as both hunt for glory at the end of the season.

All said and done though, the rivalry between Hamilton and Rosberg has thrown up the possibility of a thrilling finish to the 2014 season for the fans even as Team Mercedes tries hard to calm down both the drivers and also clinch both the drivers’ and the Constructors’ championships.