The rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg was at its peak in 2016. Hamilton had won two back-to-back championships over his Mercedes teammate in 2014 and 2015. However, Nico was pulling one back in the 2016 season. While he did manage to pip his teammate to the championship eventually, things were not as calm between the two as Hamilton claimed. After an unsuccessful outing, a furious outburst got the Briton in Niki Lauda’s bad books.

Going fastest in all practice sessions in Baku, Lewis Hamilton was having a great weekend. However, it all came crashing down during the qualifying when he crashed in the Q3 session. Furious with himself after the mistake, he destroyed his room and told the Mercedes advisor Niki Lauda to stay out.

Speaking with Servus TV, Lauda said, “He did it because he had crashed. He’ll have to pay for that [the destroyed room]. You can count on that.”

“He told me I couldn’t come in because he was going to destroy everything. This is how it was.”

Hamilton, in an interview with the Mail, claimed everything was fine between him and Nico. He told as both drivers were coming of age and getting more mature, they were making amends.

Lauda, however, trashed those claims. “Lewis lied about that, simple as that,” he told. “He just said something. He wanted to be the softener in order to have his peace last weekend.”

Lauda continued, “he does what he can. The fight gets hotter the longer Nico is in front.”

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Lewis Hamilton recollects when the rivalry with Nico Rosberg started

Nico and Lewis were not strangers to each other when the Briton joined Mercedes in 2013 from McLaren. They were teammates when they raced for Mercedes Benz McLaren in Formula A. Hamilton was only 13 back then and he recalls that is when the friction with Nico started.

Speaking after his championship victory in 2015 on The Jonathan Ross Show, he told, “There is for sure this friction naturally with [Nico Rosberg]. We’ve known each other since I went to race in Italy. I got signed when I was 13.”

“When I got there, he was the golden child because his dad was an F1 world champion. So he arrived in a helicopter and had all the best of everything,” Lewis continued. “He led the whole race. I was behind him and I overtook him in the last lap and won the race and that’s where our relationship started.”

“So you can imagine we’re in Formula 1 now, and he more than ever wants to set the record straight. But I think there is only room for one number one.”

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Nico Rosberg won the 2016 championship and retired immediately. That ended one of the most epic rivalries in Formula 1.