Hamilton versus Rosberg: F1’s much-needed rivalry

If you needed proof of the intensity of Formula 1, look no further than the increasing feud between Mercedes-Benz AMG Petronas teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Long-time mates and childhood teammates in junior categories, it took just six grands prix for the realisation that the Formula One world championship would be fought between them.

With a dominant package and no current challenger so far in the 2014 Formula One season, mind games and gamesmanship turned into outright war when Hamilton perceived Rosberg’s off in the dying seconds of qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix to have been on purpose in order to stop his teammate setting a quicker time.

Rosberg went on to win from the all-important pole position at the narrow street circuit, having survived a post-race investigation into the so-called driving error. But Hamilton remained unconvinced.

The incident was the excuse Hamilton seemed to be looking for to create a divide between himself and his teammate.

Having been recruited by the team in 2013 to replace Michael Schumacher, at a time when Rosberg had already been with Mercedes since 2010, Hamilton seems to perceive himself as the rightful number one.

That status appears to be backed by Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda, who admits Hamilton has natural talent worth extra tenths of a second over Rosberg.

While Hamilton is arguably more naturally talented, Rosberg is more calculated and less likely to get frazzled. If he did indeed get away with a professional foul in Monaco, Rosberg showed cunning many didn’t think he had in him.

And unlike Hamilton, there has been few digs directed at his teammate in the media and screaming matches on the radio with his engineer in races.

So the rivalry is setup for the remainder of the season. In many ways there are similarities to draw between Hamilton versus Rosberg and Ayrton Senna versus Alain Prost, certainly in terms of the advantage they have over the rest of the field.

Unless Red Bull can extract more speed and reliability from its Renault engine and Ferrari’s upcoming upgrades deliver, then the championship fight will be between Hamilton and Rosberg.

The squabbling, though, could open the door for another team to get back in the championship hunt, remembering the final grand prix of the season will offer double points, so Mercedes must manage the rivalry.

In a season dominated by one team, Formula One needed this rivalry, no matter how sad it is to see a friendship deteriorate so quickly.

With the duo enjoying a sizeable gap over the rest of the field and a reliable package, the defeated Mercedes driver is likely to mop up second place in any given grand prix. That makes the fight for the victory even more intense, particularly getting the edge in qualifying.

Every session will be a battleground and Hamilton and Rosberg’s relative strengths and weaknesses will be exposed.

The stage is now set for a rivalry that didn’t take long to escalate. And just imagine if they weren’t friends to begin with.