The two had been as close as brothers from a very young age, and both were overjoyed to learn that they would drive for Mercedes.
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Rivalries in sport are something that is encouraged and often results in elevating the sport to a higher pedestal in front of the world. An intense rivalry is something that can make ardent fans out of neutrals or people who might not have followed the sport until then. In recent history, the world has been privileged to see several such rivalries across a variety of sports. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in football, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo in Moto GP, and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in tennis are just a few examples. Formula 1 has also seen its fair share of rivalries that have kept fans on the edge of their seats. The most recent one is between Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
However, there are certain times when a rivalry goes too far, and sometimes even ends up tarnishing the sport and leaves a bad taste in the mouths of fans and the rivals. One such infamous rivalry, in F1, was between Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, and the rivalry hit its lowest point at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix that was hosted on May 15, five years ago.
What makes the story of the 2016 Spanish GP all the more interesting is the shared history of Hamilton and Rosberg. The two had been as close as brothers from a very young age, and both were overjoyed to learn that they would be teammates and drive for Toto Wolff’s Mercedes. 2016 brought out the competition between the duo to the fullest, as the 2016 season is often dubbed ‘The Batlle of the Silver Arrows’. There was little to no doubt that Mercedes was going to take the title, but the question remained, who? Hamilton or Rosberg?
It was reported that at the time, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff saw the Englishman as the future of the company in F1. Safe to say that the bet played out quite well for Wolff. However, things might not have sat so well with Rosberg at the time, especially since he was the defending champion.
By the time the Spanish GP came to pass, tensions between the two were at an all-time high, despite them being teammates. Right from the off, Rosberg got around Hamilton in turn one and moved to the first position. It was at turn three that tragedy struck and Mercedes saw one of its darkest days on the track. At turn three, Hamilton tried to overtake his teammate and as his teammate tried to defend his lead, the Englishman strayed off course, spun and collided with Rosberg at turn four. The incident ended the race then and there for both Mercedes drivers.
Following the incident, both drivers were called to the stewards but they managed to escape without a penalty as it was declared a racing accident with particularly no driver to blame. As it turned out, Rosberg had chosen the wrong engine mode for the start, thus he was low on power. It gave Hamilton the idea to go for a passing move. “I made it very clear I wasn’t going to leave any space on the inside and I was very surprised he went for the gap,” the German driver said. Hamilton apologized to his teammate after the race but refused to shoulder any blame. Mercedes’ executive chairman at the time and a racing legend himself, Niki Lauda, blamed Hamilton for the incident. The most staggering statistic, however, was that it was Mercedes’ first double retirement since the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.
The two continued to have a heated rivalry throughout the rest of the season and it ended with Nico Rosberg winning the crown for a second season running and Hamilton finishing second. The gap between the two was a hair’s breadth.
Possibly the worst outcome from the crash was the relationship between Hamilton and Rosberg. The two had been close friends for many years and they were supposedly over the moon when they learned that they would be teammates at Mercedes. What exists between the two now can hardly be compared to what it used to be. There exists a professional relationship and a high degree of mutual respect. However, the rivalry, no matter how iconic, was ultimately the one that went too overboard and cost them dearly.
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