Nico Rosberg says he’s not surprised he and team-mate Lewis Hamilton have clashed off track so early into the season.
The pair have fought one another for victory at various races this season, but things finally came to blow last time out in Monaco when they fell out over a qualifying incident.
Rosberg says it’s normal for that to happen when you’re in an intense battle for not only race wins, but the championship too.
“Am I surprised that we have certain difficulties early on when we’re both fighting for every race win? No,” he said in Canada.
“They have always been there and even back in go karting we’ve had difficulties because even then we were racing all the time for the race win, so I’m not surprised.
“I wouldn’t say it’s too unusual, we’ve always had periods where it’s a bit more difficult but we’ve always had that base respect.”
The German added that he does everything he can to avoid the situation because it makes his life harder, but on the other hand he understands the fans want drama and the media enjoy a good story.
“I want to win races. Everything I do is focused on that. At the same time you [the media] are writing for the fans who, in the end, are the most important, and that’s why we’re racing. So there’s a fine line, and I need to try to give you some cool stuff, but I want to try to avoid giving things that unnecessarily heat the moment even more.
“You’re trying to build it into a war, which I can understand because it makes it more exciting, so I want to avoid adding unnecessary fuel.”
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