Trouble has been brewing over at McLaren ever since Lewis Hamilton strolled to the Formula One title last year, then watched teammate Nico Rosberg leave him in the dust this time around.

That’s largely due to continued mechanical and engine issues with Lewis’ vehicle, although that hasn’t diminished the grin on Nico’s face one bit.

It all came to a head this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix, where Hamilton and Rosberg were involved in a clash that saw both exit the race on the first lap.

Here’s the collision:

Some reaction from Planet F1:

Nico Rosberg says he made it clear that he wasn’t going to leave room for Lewis Hamilton and was “very surprised” when he tried to go up the inside…

The accident has been ruled a racing incident by the stewards but it is one Rosberg feels should never have happened.

“I was aware of the situation and saw Lewis coming closer so I went for the usual racing driver reaction of closing the inside and closing the door as early as I could,” Autosport quotes him as saying.

“For me it was a way of making clear I wasn’t going to leave any space on the inside there and I was very surprised that he did go for the gap anyway.

“Overall I’m just extremely gutted, it was our race to win, all of us, and I’m also gutted for my colleagues.

“I’m aware of all the work everyone has put into these two cars and for us to end in the sand like that, that’s as bad as it gets.”

Asked if he blames Hamilton for the clash, Rosberg replied: “I didn’t say that. I’m saying that I will go with the verdict of the stewards.”

Go ahead and read between the lines on that one – I think it’s pretty clear that Nico and Lewis won’t be hugging it out.

One silver lining to both Mercedes drivers exiting so early was the emergence of Max Verstappen as the eventual winner, in the process becoming the youngest ever race winner.

[source:planetf1]

[imagesource:cnn]