25/05/2016
NEWS STORY
Despite the best efforts of the media, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were playing it cool in Monaco today.
Two weeks after the first lap clash that saw both eliminated, the (mainly British) media is still seeking to build this into a feud of Prost/Senna proportions.
However, much to the obvious frustration of the tabloids, Rosberg refused to play when asked whether he had held 'clear the air' talks with his British teammate, the German effectively putting up the 'no pry' screen.
"If we have spoken or not, that needs to be kept internal," he told reporters. "But it is a thing of the past now. I am going to take the same approach as always and do what's necessary to try to win this grand prix, which is what I have come here to do."
Hamilton, on the other hand, was willing to give a little more insight, admitting that the pair have spoken and that all is well.
"It's fine," he replied, when asked if he had spoken to Rosberg since arriving in Monaco. "In the past, there would have been tension but there was just pure respect. I said, 'I still have all the respect for you,' and he said the same."
Prior to the Barcelona clash, Mercedes had taken the unusual step of writing an open letter to fans insisting that Hamilton's failure to win a race this year, often the result of technical issues, was not down to sabotage or favouritism.
In the wake of the Spanish saga the team, still keen to see the pair battle on track, has worked hard to prevent the situation spiralling out of control, and insists there is no lingering bad blood between its drivers.
"It is always good to discuss things," said Hamilton. "As a team we did, in Barcelona and then at the factory I guess individually, and then Nico and I spoke just now. But I didn't feel we had to, because there is no issue. We just move on, there is nothing you can do about the past.
"We didn't talk through the incident. We don't need to," he continued. "We know what happened. We experienced it. We know how we felt about it before. We are not like the more emotional beings on the planet who talk about things, we don't do that. We arrived very cool and chilled and spoke. All we need to know is the respect is still there and we are going to keep racing. And that's all we had to say."
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