Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton started their motorsport careers as good – some would say great – friends. Fast forward to the present day and the pair are anything but.
According to Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff, the duo are now ‘enemies’, or at least act that way, following a spate of incidents every Formula 1 fan is fully aware of.
A competitive car has given them both the opportunity to fight for the title and it has tested their relationship, but it’s no longer a secret that they’re at war and Wolff doesn’t blame them.
“It has changed from, let’s say, an almost amicable relationship at the beginning of the season to a very intense moment, where it was almost like realising these two are enemies competing for the world title,” he told BBC Sport.
“It’s also a learning process [for them],” he added. “These boys have been calibrated their whole life that their main priority is to win the drivers’ championship in F1. And here they go – they are in the same car, competing against each other for that trophy and one is going to win and one is going to fail.
“This is a new experience for them – a difficult experience maybe.”
