Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg: German claims Mercedes rivalry makes it ‘difficult’ to be pals after clashes on the track
British ace trails teammate by just one point in Formula One standings as competition heats up with the finish line in sight
LEWIS HAMILTON and Nico Rosberg will renew their title battle this weekend with the German declaring: "We aren't friends".
The Mercedes duo are at war and risk being BANNED by their team if they come to blows on the track again.
The two smashed in Spain, collided in Canada and had a thrilling final-lap accident in Austria that left team bosses livid.
Yet Hamilton claimed last month their relationship was "really good, surprisingly". However, Rosberg says that is NOT the case.
He said: "I have huge respect for him but, well, we're not best friends at the moment.
"That's the difficulty between us now. We're just both so competitive and that makes it difficult to be friends because the competition is so extreme.
"It was the same back then [when racing during their teenage years].
"How many pizzas could we eat? Who could run fastest from the lift to the hotel room? It would be competition all the way.
"But there was not the surrounding influence with a team, the media and money. That makes it difficult now."
Hamilton has sliced into Rosberg's 43 point lead in the championship.
After wins in Monaco, Montreal, Spielberg and Silverstone the German's lead has been whittled down to just ONE point.
And now Rosberg is hoping that Hamilton's luck is about to run out and that he can go on a winning run himself - especially after being bumped down to third in the British GP after his team were found to have broken the radio ban, triggering a 10 second penalty.
He added: "Momentum does play a role. We've seen it with Lewis and I from 2014. We've always gone in waves.
"It's strange but it must be time for his wave to be ending now. But, yeah, it's difficult to have a race like Silverstone.
"Second place - I could have lived with that but to lose points and finish third? That's tough.
"But I've been very successful and I hope to get more success.
"My dream is to win the world championship and I'm fighting for that. I'm giving it everything.
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"This is a special period. It's almost unique in F1 history - to have such a [dominant] car for such a long period. Every race I can be on pole - and I can win. It's unreal.
"Fighting for the title is incredibly intensive. The learning curve is steep initially. I've learned a lot and made massive progress.
"The actual driving doesn't change much but it's such a difficult situation because you're racing together and, at the same time, against each other. That's a unique challenge."
However, Hamilton says he is still "buzzing" from his win in the British Grand Prix and is full of confidence heading to Budapest this weekend.
He said: "It's a wonderful feeling, winning in front of your home crowd.
"I'm still buzzing from it now and looking forward to carrying those positive vibes into the next race weekend.
"Ever since the low of Barcelona I've been able to cultivate this really strong mental attitude and I'm really feeling that fire inside me right now.
"Of course, I have good days and bad days like everyone else. But whatever the case, I'm able to turn negatives into positives when it counts.
"I'm feeling fresh, feeling powerful and feeling confident heading to Hungary.
"It's a track that for some reason has always suited my style and I have incredible support there, so I can't wait to get to out on track."