Hamilton happy with Rosberg’s healthy rivalry

Lewis Hamilton has reassured Mercedes boss Toto Wolff that the tensions between himself and Nico Rosberg will not harm the team’s dominance of Formula One.

Hamilton beat team-mate Rosberg to the drivers’ championship title in 2014 and 2015, but the relationship between the two has become increasingly strained amid a series of public disagreements.

Following the end of the 2015 season, Wolff warned the relationship between the two drivers could force the constructors’ champions to rethink their driver line-up in the future.

However, Hamilton claims the tension has been “blown out of proportion” and their growing rivalry is taking the team to new heights rather than holding them back.

“It is kind of crazy and they shouldn’t really call us team-mates as such,” Hamilton told BBC Radio One. “The problem is there are two championships, [while] in football there is one championship.

“For us there is the constructors’ championship and that is what they hire us and pay us … but individually we want to win the [drivers’] championship. So it is difficult.

“But this side [of team-mate tension] is always blown out of proportion. We have had 16 one-twos, so our relationship isn’t really causing any problems.

“It is not like he has been distracted and not finished high up or vice versa, so I think ultimately it is easy for people to take things for granted. We have both done a great job.”

He added: “The energy within the team is as high as it is ever going to be. And that is because we do what we do, and how we do it.

“We are never going to be best friends but somehow we make it work. There are tense moments, but that is the same in any kind of sport I imagine.”