Niki Lauda has admitted that the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg was as bad as it looked and wasn't an act for the cameras.

Rivals, though good friends, since their karting days, when Lewis Hamilton finally followed his friend Nico Rosberg into F1, the pair hugged and acted like kids when they first shared a podium.

However, as it so often does, once the pair found themselves in the same team, the relationship began to crumble, and by the end it was downright hostile.

The on-track clashes fast became as talked about as some of the other great rivalries the sport has witnessed over the years, not least that of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

Talking to Graham Bensinger for his In Depth show ahead of the United States Grands Prix, Niki Lauda has shed light on just how bad things were.

"They had no relationship, which is always bad," said the Austrian. "It was so bad that they didn't even say hello in the morning.

"I don't expect them to have breakfast together if they don't like each other," he admitted, "but the relationship was really bad.

"It affected Lewis mainly and Nico, so it was fine but not easy."

Referring to one of their most infamous on-track clashes, that at the start of last year's Spanish Grand Prix which saw both drivers eliminated and Max Verstappen go on to take his maiden F1 win, Lauda says: "The big question was whose fault was it? For me it was clear because Lewis was too aggressive going to the right, he hit the grass, couldn't stop his car and then hit him off.

"I said if I have to choose between the two it's more Lewis' fault than Nico's fault," he admits. "And Lewis did not appreciate that, because he was of a different opinion.

"He said, 'Why do you criticize me?' I said, 'Excuse me. I cannot accept that you guys crash and then we have nothing and its nobody's fault. For me it has to be somebody's fault.'

"Then Lewis really got upset. Nico said, 'Yes, it was your fault too, you moved to the inside. Why did you not leave room?' He said, 'Why should I, I was doing the race'."

According to the Austrian, both drivers were warned of their conduct and advised that further occurrences could see one or both released from their contracts.

"We put some regulations in," he reveals, "we told them, especially after Barcelona when they pushed each other off track, we said this was unacceptable for Mercedes and one of you guys has to win you cannot push each other off.

"We had some rules put in, that you are not allowed to do that and you have to pay a penalty if you do it again or we will think of releasing you from your contract, because we are team players here and we cannot destroy each other.

"This was the thing. Toto came up with some good rules and we had peace again. We fought hard and the accidents got reduced between them."

With Lewis Hamilton suggesting that all will be revealed in 'the book', we await further insight into the (Azerbaijan) hospitality suite melt-down that never was... and so many more.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Trixi, 14/10/2017 19:49

"Thank you, Niki, for a great interview. I so enjoyed it; and I feel he was honest with what he told us. It proves that Nico was diligent in what he had set out to do...to win the WDC for 2016, and I believe the 2015 COTA race was the turning point. AND, I also appreciated that Niki gave his opinion about the crash in Barcelona and how the meeting went down. Nico has been quiet and a gentlemen about it; and he could have bragged about how it was Lewis's fault. The one thing about Nico, too; he knew how to set up his car and didn't share it with Lewis. That was another winning way. Now, Lewis has Bottas to lean on; and he can get all that information from Bottas, his little bitch. No wonder they are getting along great. If Bottas would decide that he is going to be his own man, the whole persona would change. "

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2. Posted by f1fan, 14/10/2017 16:25

"Nico is a wimp. He quits and have not the courage to defend his championship.
Given equal reliability of the cars he would not have been able to beat Lewis last year (2016). "

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3. Posted by FormerF1Fan, 14/10/2017 9:57

"The most important contributory factor in Hamilton's career has been to be in the right car at the right time. It doesn't enter his realm of conciousness that he might be less than devine. Given his histoy of dastardly moves (five FIA rule changes to his name) the lunge against Roberg was just another day at the office for him."

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4. Posted by Max Noble, 13/10/2017 13:12

"History has ever been written by the Victor. "

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Lauda: It was really bad

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