02/12/2015
NEWS STORY
Whatever the whys and wherefores of the Rosberg resurgence and the Hamilton slump, the fact is that all is not well between the two.
Friends since their karting days, the two remained close buddies when they entered F1.
However, over the last couple of season, as Mercedes became the dominant force in F1 the relationship has clearly soured.
From day one, racers have a special competitive streak that the rest of us can barely comprehend, and whilst this has been manageable for much of their careers, in the same teams, with equal (title-winning) equipment few friendship could really survive.
Both have pulled strokes, both have pushed it just that little too far, but for the most part it seemed to work. However, in the latter stages of this season, the relationship between the two has visibly soured.
Clearly broken in Austin, the cap throwing incident - whatever Hamilton meant by it - was clearly the tipping point for Rosberg.
The German went on to take three success wins, but as Hamilton made clear on Sunday, 'better to win a title than a race'.
This was just the latest in a series of barbs from the Briton, who has not only suggested the team is "warm" towards his teammate - essentially accusing it of bias - but openly mocked Rosberg, witness his reference to the "wind" following the German's (somewhat feeble) excuse for his error in Austin.
Now, Mercedes Motorsport boss Wolff has confirmed our suspicions, not only has the relationship between the two drivers deteriorated, it is impacting the team. Indeed, it is impacting the team to such an extent that one of them could be released from his contract early.
"We took the decision of having two evenly matched drivers in order to make the team progress faster and better," he told Motorsport.com. "It was a very conscious decision three years ago.
"Going forward, we will consider if it is the best set-up for the team," he continued. "Personality and character within the team is a crucial ingredient for the team success. If we feel that it is not aligned with the general consensus, spirit and philosophy within the team, we might consider that when we take a decision, in terms of the driver line-up going forward.
"It is important to have talented and fast drivers in the car," he added. "But we want to work with nice guys."
Earlier this year, Hamilton agreed a new contract which sees him with the team until the end of 2018, Rosberg's contract runs out at the end of next year.
Whilst some might wonder whether the posturing and pouting might be part of 'the show', F1 fans through the ages always appreciating a bit of bad blood between rival drivers, especially teammates, Wolff reveals that the current animosity is affecting the team.
"There is lots going on behind closed doors," he said. "I feel that the team is stronger than ever. We are having huge unity within the team, but the difficult relationship of the drivers is one of our weaknesses. And that is not good.
"If I were to analyse what are the biggest strengths and the biggest weakness of the team, I would say the biggest strength is the quality and the characters of the personalities within the team. The biggest weakness is the dynamic of the relationship between the drivers – and sometimes between the drivers and the team."