Lewis Hamilton’s fuming row with Nico Rosberg: ‘Can’t deal with fact I’m quicker’

Lewis Hamilton discusses his experience with race at Formula 1

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Lewis Hamilton says his Mercedes team go into this weekend’s British Grand Prix aiming for victory despite their troubled 2022 season. Mercedes have been well off the pace of the Red Bulls and Ferraris, but Hamilton is optimistic the team can turn it around. Asked by Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle if he can achieve his ninth home win this weekend, the Mercedes driver replied with a resounding “yes!”. He continued: “That is what we will be working on together.

“We have had a difficult year, and it’s definitely not what we have been hoping for but I feel like we have strengthened in so many other ways.”

Hamilton is not only used to being at the front of the grid, he is also used to beating his teammate.

But George Russell in the other Mercedes is currently 33 points ahead.

Hamilton hasn’t faced such fierce competition since he was racing alongside Nico Rosberg.

The pair had numerous run-ins during their time at Mercedes, and Hamilton even revived the war of words after Rosberg had retired.

In 2018, Hamilton appeared to take a swipe at Rosberg while praising his then-teammate Valterri Bottas.

Hamilton said: “The great thing with Valtteri compared to the rest is he doesn’t blame the car.

“If I win he says I’ve done a better job. If I‘ve won then I look at myself and say he has done a better job.

“Every other driver doesn’t do that. A lot of other drivers couldn’t deal with the fact that I’m quicker.

“That’s really why we get on the way we do and that’s why we get on so well.”

Hamilton also lifted the lid on some tactics his old team-mates have used to try and get an advantage over him.

He added: “Some drivers try and sway the team to give them the advantage such as quicker pit stops.

“I hear some drivers ask reporters: ‘How do I get into Lewis’ head?’”

Rosberg now works as a pundit, and regularly gives his analysis on the triumphs and tribulations of the drivers.

This includes his old rival.

In May, the German looked at why Russell is getting the better of Hamilton this year.

Rosberg told Sky Sports: “It’s definitely a very tough situation for Lewis.

“He’s won a race in every season of his career and it looks like maybe this will be the year when he can’t win anymore.

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“You can see how the tension is rising and that’s natural. Lewis will obviously start to show those emotions a little bit.

“Nevertheless, with the experience he has I think he will eventually manage to keep those under control. Let’s not forget also Lewis hates ending up behind his team-mate.

“Even if you’re 11th or 13th he really passionately hates coming in behind his team-mate – it makes him very angry and that also happened at Imola in qualifying and the sprint race so it will put the tension up a lot, especially in the engineering room where Lewis will be pushing harder and harder. It will be interesting to watch how that unfolds.”

Their years together saw plenty of clashes, making for one the most hostile rivalries in the sport’s recent history.

In Malaysia in 2013, for example, Rosberg was told to stay behind Hamilton, but the German was not happy.

The following year, there was the wheel-to-wheel fight in Bahrain, where it later transpired Rosberg had ignored team orders to stay ahead of Hamilton.

In 2015, the relationship between the two drivers deteriorated when Hamilton won the title early in the US Grand Prix – Rosberg famously threw his baseball cap in his direction while sat in the warm down room.

Then, in 2016, things got even worse, most notably at the Spanish Grand Prix when the two crashed into each other on the first lap.

The season finale in Abu Dhabi that year saw Hamilton controversially slow Rosberg to boost his own chances of winning the title.

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