For some time now Formula One has been missing something, which heightens not only the interest of long-standing fans but those who are new to the sport too, that something is rivalry. Some of the most closely fought Driver’s Championships have been contested by the bitterest of rivals. When one thinks of rivals in the sport, Lauda versus Hunt immediately springs to mind and after that Senna versus Prost. Now, Hamilton versus Rosberg, a rivalry that many fans were hoping to see appears as though it may be spiraling out of control. It emerged before the race that the two drivers, who grew up together and considered each other close friends, had not spoken to one another for the duration of a month. Granted, the summer break in Formula One is four weeks long but the fact that there has been no communication for a month is unbelievably concerning.

The torrid atmosphere in the paddock seemed to be as a result of Hamilton’s exploits in Hungary during the previous race. Hamilton was clearly told by the Mercedes team that Rosberg was on a different strategy to him, being on the option tyre whilst Hamilton remained on the prime, and that Hamilton should let him through or as they put it ‘do not hold him up’. Meanwhile, Hamilton was focused on his own race as Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo were posing strong competition for precious Championship points. Therefore, Hamilton somewhat understandably, refused to simply slow down and let his teammate through. Instead Hamilton informed his team over the radio that he would let Rosberg through provided that Rosberg could catch him first. Rosberg’s frustration flowed over in the cockpit as he was repeatedly broadcast as saying aggressively ‘why won’t he let me through?’ Seemingly, this stubborn and resilient attitude taken by Hamilton displeased his teammate immensely and as they took to the track today after four weeks without racing Rosberg remained adamant that Hamilton’s reasoning had been wrong, flawed and selfish.

In a way, there were a lot of comparisons to be drawn in this Belgian Grand Prix to the rivalry between Prost and Senna in the 1980s. Senna had qualified on pole for the Japanese Grand Prix, a race he was required to win and pole position was mysteriously moved to the dirty side of the track that provides much less grip than the clean side which is generally on the racing line. This was to do with the politics of the sport at the time. The head of the FIA was French and was keen to see fellow Frenchman Alain Prost win the Championship. Although no such politics were involved today, Rosberg was clearly on pole on the slower side of the grid which allowed Hamilton to sail past him off the line. With the roles reversed in the Senna and Prost situation, Senna exploited a gap that Prost had left open, only for Prost to close the door and take himself out of the race. Rosberg is very much like Prost. He is calculating, and he is looking to do what is needed and necessary to win the World Championship. Hamilton is more like Senna. He’s highly religious, highly emotional and one of the most exceptional drivers of his generation. In terms of raw pace, Hamilton is undoubtedly better.

Today, with Hamilton in the lead, he left ample room at the first chicane for Rosberg who was challenging around the outside whilst remaining on the racing line. Although at the time it appears to be a racing incident, Rosberg’s hand movement is incredibly telling. As he lines up the move, Rosberg visibly realises that it is certain to fail and attempts to turn left and out of the move. However, inexplicably he turns his steering wheel back to the right which at first appeared as though he had looked to slot back into the slipstream too early.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9hXvw9yMw8

What has become clear since Mercedes’s internal meeting after the race is that Rosberg has proclaimed to Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe that he executed this move deliberately to ‘prove a point’. For Nico Rosberg, a driver who I had the utmost respect for coming into this season, a driver who threw qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix in what I was willing to believe was an accident, this is disgraceful, unacceptable and deplorable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUvIJXhYrQc

This Grand Prix could very realistically hand him the Championship as he now leads by 29 points and he had admitted to his team that he took his teammate out of the race deliberately.

How can this stand? Obviously there is very little Mercedes can do internally other than implement team orders strictly and reprimand Rosberg for his behavior which cost the team precious Constructor’s Championship points. Alternatively, the F1 world is now looking to the FIA and the Belgian Grand Prix race stewards for action. Clearly, with such a confession of culpability something has to be done. The FIA cannot allow a driver to win the World Championship of such unsporting conduct. Then again, Prost won the Championship over Senna by political means even though after their collision in Japan Senna went on to win the race. The next year, Senna won the Championship after deliberately taking Prost out at the first turn. There is a history of this unsavoury behaviour running through the sport’s history. Two things are certain in this scenario. Firstly some sort of action will undoubtedly be taken against Nico Rosberg and secondly Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will not be teammates next season.