Mercedes is trying their best to calm the situation, assuaging Nico Rosberg with encouraging words, stating the German would bounce back with data inputs from Lewis Hamilton's practice. Access to data of a fellow teammate isn't new, Hamilton and Rosberg has had that, but by emphasising on it, Mercedes is trying to turn Rosberg's disappointment into drive. But history tells us, rivalries only intensifies as the season progress.
Here are a few instances of two alpha males in a cage:
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost
It could not have gotten better than this. Two of the best drivers of the era battling it out in the same team, with no regards to garage chemistry. This was two lions in a territory. The 1989 collision between the two McLaren drivers, which some say was deliberate move by Prost, saw the peak of their rivalry; the Frenchman winning the championship as a direct consequence. The next season saw Senna returning the favour, though Prost had moved to Ferrari by then. Recalling the rivalry, Prost said; “Ayrton didn't want to beat me, he wanted to destroy me."
Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso
Before Rosberg, there was a Spaniard, named Fernando. Alonso, already a two-time world champion was expected to be the No 1 at McLaren. But Hamilton and McLaren go a long way back, and there was no way the British side could not give the rising star a fair chance. So they decided to level the playing field. But as Alonso saw it, it was a world champion getting the same regard as a home rookie. It could not have gone well, and as it happened, it surely did not.
{{/usCountry}}Before Rosberg, there was a Spaniard, named Fernando. Alonso, already a two-time world champion was expected to be the No 1 at McLaren. But Hamilton and McLaren go a long way back, and there was no way the British side could not give the rising star a fair chance. So they decided to level the playing field. But as Alonso saw it, it was a world champion getting the same regard as a home rookie. It could not have gone well, and as it happened, it surely did not.
{{/usCountry}}Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet
This Williams story of the late 80s was similar to the Alonso-Hamilton one. Piquet was the expected star of the team. But on track, Mansell had other ideas, beating Piquet on points in 1986. But Piquet came back strong to win the 1987 championship. Between these two championships, many words were exchanged, and the two made abundantly clear they were no friends.