Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel is not expecting any gifts from Mercedes even if tensions between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg spill over on to the track in Bahrain this weekend.

“Both of them are professional enough to handle the situation,” the German told reporters ahead of the fourth race of the season.

Rosberg and double world champion Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel at Sakhir last season and this year’s race has been spiced up by a spat between the team-mates in China last Sunday.

Rosberg accused Hamilton, who won in Shanghai from pole position, of compromising his race by not driving quick enough while leading and exposing him to the threat of Vettel immediately behind.

Hamilton suggested Rosberg had not tried hard enough.

A clash between the two tomorrow would likely benefit Vettel, the winner in Malaysia who has finished on the podium in his three races with Ferrari since leaving Red Bull, but he is not counting on it.

“For us, it is irrelevant,” he said.

“We need to look after ourselves, and if they are in trouble with each other and take each other out, everyone benefits, not just us, so it would be welcome.

“But equally we are not expecting that. As I’ve said, they are professionals and they know what they are doing.”

Vettel famously collided with his Australian team-mate Mark Webber at Red Bull in 2010, while Rosberg and Hamilton made contact in Belgium last year with the Briton retiring from the race.

They also went wheel to wheel in Bahrain in what turned out to be one of the thrilling races in a season dominated by Mercedes.

Rosberg fast in practice

Rosberg rose to the challenge by lapping faster than Mercedes team-mate Hamilton in practice yesterday. The German topped the times with a 1:34.647 on soft tyres in the second, floodlit session.

Hamilton was second overall, 0.115 slower, but ended the day with a stewards’ enquiry hanging over him and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen for possible pit lane infringements.

Raikkonen, who had led team-mate Vettel in the blazing afternoon heat with a best lap of 1:37.827, was the third fastest in the second session with Vettel fourth.

Vettel also faced a trip to the stewards after a collision with the Force India of Sergio Perez that temporarily brought out the red flags.

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