Nico Rosberg steered clear of fighting talk but recognised relations with Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton had become trickier since the F1 championship turned into a duel bet-ween the two.
The red hot rivalry between the title contenders has been the talk of Formula One for weeks and this week both drivers did their best to avoid stirring things up ahead of tomorrow’s Canadian Grand Prix.
“Of course, it is more difficult,” Nico Rosberg told reporters at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
“We are fighting every single race weekend. There is more at stake, there is the opportunity of winning the championship this year and that is the ultimate goal in F1 racing.”
With six wins from six races so far, Mercedes are in a dominant position. Hamilton had taken four successive victories before Rosberg won and seized back the overall lead in Monaco two weeks ago.
That last race saw the rivalry turned up a notch with Hamilton suggesting the German had deliberately run wide in the final seconds of qualifying, bringing out yellow warning flags and forcing the 2008 champion to slow when he might have taken pole.
The battles on the track and war of words off it have rekindled memories of the fierce rivalry between McLaren team-mates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost that captivated Formula One during the 1988-89 campaigns.
“In a way I am honoured to hear those comparisons because that was an extremely high level, a big battle at the time,” said Rosberg.
“But I leave it at that. I don’t compare myself to that era I just want to do my own thing and go my own way.”
Before arriving in Canada for the next round of the champion-ship, Hamilton and Rosberg met to discuss the situation.
Rosberg refused to reveal details of what was said, only that he and his British team-mate had settled their differences.
“I didn’t see it as too unusual. We have always had periods where it was more difficult and we have that base respect that goes back 15 years and that’s the important thing,” said Rosberg.
“As a result we always discuss things and move on.
“That’s how it’s been this time too.”
The 28-year-old made clear he saw the bigger picture, and what was good for his team and Formula One.
“I want to win races,” offered Rosberg.
“Everything I do is focused on that. You are all trying to build it into a war which I can understand because it makes it all the more exciting but I want to try and avoid putting extra fuel on it.
“I was in the factory this week talking to everybody and for them the championship is so important so if we take each other out (on track), for all our team members that would be a disaster.
“In the end we are a team and I do think about everybody else too.”