Hamilton vs. Rosberg: Rivals with a bitter edge

Fighting amid astonishing success

That Hamilton and Rosberg found themselves in by far the quickest cars of the era added fuel to the enmity that overcame their old friendship. The numbers show the pair won an astonishing 54 of the 78 races they competed in as F1 team-mates over four seasons. Hamilton scooped 32 of them and started ahead of Rosberg 42 times on his way to back-to-back World Titles in 2014 and ’15. Rosberg took 22 wins and lined up ahead of Hamilton on 36 occasions, culminating in him beating his team-mate to the crown in 2016.

Hamilton had the edge, but not by much. Given how the British driver would go on to notch up four more Drivers’ Championships at Mercedes for a record-equalling career total of seven and to become the only F1 driver to hit three figures for wins (currently 105), how Rosberg ran him so close and also how often he beat him does the German much credit. If Hamilton is a contender for F1’s GOAT, Rosberg is perhaps underrated given the degree to which he got under his rival’s skin.

The childhood friendship

They were always deeply competitive with each other as kids, but there was also genuine friendship between these two, despite contrasting backgrounds. Rosberg had a privileged upbringing in Monaco as the son of 1982 World Champion Keke, while Hamilton faced a harder climb, from a council estate in Stevenage.

Yet it was Hamilton who chiselled out the better pedigree, winning a Formula A European Title while they were team-mates in 2000, then going on to secure a hat-trick of junior Championships once he stepped up to cars: UK Formula Renault in 2003, Formula 3 Euroseries in 2005 and GP2 (now Formula 2) in 2006.

Rosberg was German Formula BMW Champion in 2002 and conquered GP2 in 2005, before graduating to F1 with Williams in 2006. Hamilton followed a season later with McLaren, banking the most remarkable rookie season in history and becoming World Champion for the first time the following year.

By the time they found themselves thrown together at Mercedes in 2013, there was little doubt who was expected to be the senior partner in this alliance.

2014: The rivalry sparks into life

In their first year together at the Silver Arrows, Rosberg actually outperformed Hamilton regarding race victories. Having broken his F1 duck in China in 2012, Rosberg won in Monaco and Silverstone in 2013, while Hamilton only prevailed in Hungary. Yet it was the latter who finished fourth in the Championship ahead of Rosberg’s sixth. Beyond a minor team orders controversy in Malaysia, dwarfed by the ‘Multi-21’ storm that blew up between Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, there was initially little bother between the Silver Arrows drivers.

That changed in 2014. This was the dawn of the hybrid era, when Mercedes stole a clear march on Renault and Ferrari that fully justified Hamilton’s decision to leave McLaren at the end of 2012. It was clearly going to be a Mercedes driver who claimed the World Championship — but which one?

The assumption was Hamilton’s speed superiority would make the difference, but actually Rosberg took more pole positions that year — 11 plays seven — and led the points until deep into the season. The first sign of trouble flared in Bahrain, where the two silver cars duelled wheel to wheel. There was some tough racing that night under the desert lights, not least from a hard-headed Hamilton. He stayed just the right side of fair to defeat Rosberg by a second, but the die was cast.

Later that summer, in Hungary, the tension ratcheted up another notch when Hamilton refused to cede to his team-mate who was running to a different strategy. “I’m not slowing down for Nico,” he barked on the radio, as Rosberg lost the chance for a win.

Next time out in Belgium, Championship points leader Rosberg hit back. A clumsy move at Les Combes on lap two punted Hamilton out and sent Mercedes into crisis mode. The old friendship was in the past.

Hamilton clawed his points deficit back in the races that followed and held a 17-point advantage at the Abu Dhabi conclusion. A ridiculous double-points rule for the final race created extra jeopardy, but when Hamilton beat polesitter Rosberg to the first turn, and the latter’s car then developed an ERS problem, Hamilton’s long-awaited second Drivers’ Championship was secured. He clearly deserved it, with 11 victories that year to Rosberg’s five. But he’d been pushed hard and was rattled more often than perhaps most would have expected.

2015: Hamilton, hands down

It was a different story the following year as Hamilton turned the screw, but still there were points of high tension. At the third race in China, with a new threat rising from Vettel who had now switched to Ferrari, Hamilton appeared to purposely back Rosberg up to give Vettel a shot at second. Not for the first time (nor the last) the press conference turned frosty as Hamilton batted away his team-mate’s complaint. The message? He was out for himself. And we’re told this is supposedly a team game…

At Suzuka, Hamilton held his line after the start and ran Rosberg out of road as they exited Turn 2. By Austin the German was a beaten man; Hamilton wrapped up a second consecutive title and a third in total with three races to spare.

In the green room afterwards, as he sought to compose himself, Hamilton somewhat gracelessly flung the second-place podium cap at Rosberg — before it was flung right back. Rubbing in the defeat wasn’t wise… To his credit, Rosberg hit back by winning the final three races. This not-particularly-civil war was far from over.

2016: Rosberg’s revenge

Remarkably, Rosberg kept the winning run going by scooping the first four races of 2016. Then came the Spanish Grand Prix.

Rosberg took the lead from pole winner Hamilton, but an error left him in the wrong engine mode on the approach to Turn 4 and vulnerable to attack. Hamilton swooped right, Rosberg put in a late block that pushed his team-mate on to the grass and the two Mercs collided to be left picking gravel. A huge moment, enhanced by it gifting Max Verstappen his first Grand Prix win on his sensational debut for Red Bull.

Four races later, at the Austrian Grand Prix, the silver cars were at it again. Hamilton again had a run to pass, but this time edged up on the outside line. Rosberg braked too late, ran wide and the pair once again collided. This time, Rosberg came off worse with a broken front wing and then copped a time penalty. Meanwhile, Hamilton won to close to within 11 points, then claimed the next three races, too.

So, were we set for the usual outcome? Not this time. Rosberg dug deep once again to claim consecutive wins at Spa, Monza and Singapore and put him back in the Championship lead. Then a devastating (and rare) engine blow-up for Hamilton in Malaysia strengthened his team-mate’s position. Come Abu Dhabi, it was Rosberg now defending at the finale. Hamilton once again pulled his old backing-up trick in an attempt to trip up his former friend — much to the annoyance of the Mercedes pitwall — but Rosberg was not to be denied. Second place made him World Champion.

It had been a monumental effort to beat Hamilton over a season, and now he was on top of the world Rosberg concluded he was spent, with nothing more to give. Five days later he sensationally announced his immediate retirement from F1, the first Champion to back away from a title defence since Alain Prost in 1993.

Friends reunited

In the years since, it has taken some time for Hamilton and Rosberg to recover from those intense four seasons. As Hamilton raced on to stretch his incredible tally of victories and Championships, Rosberg turned his hand to business, team ownership, again facing up against Hamilton in the off-road Extreme E series, and latterly as an F1 TV pundit.

Since he quit as Champion, Rosberg has never missed an opportunity to venerate Hamilton as one of the great racing drivers. Cynics might argue that only enhances his own achievement in 2016, but still, his admiration for his old friend seems genuine.

And eventually they have become reconciled. Never overtly or for the cameras, but in private it is said they are back to being on better terms. The bitterness and resentment that brewed during their team-mate rivalry might never fade completely, given how much they put each other through, but both are surely old and wise enough now to know life is too short to sustain grudges. They’ve both moved on.

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