Revealed: Why Lewis Hamilton is ‘BANNED’ from entering former F1 rival Nico Rosberg’s house – despite his touching gesture every year

This is despite Hamilton making a touching gesture to his family every year.

The pair had a fruitful but sometimes volatile relationship when they were team-mates at Mercedes from 2013 to 2016. Hamilton and Rosberg were childhood friends but their rivalry intensified on the sporting front, leading Hamilton to declare in May 2014 that the two were “not friends.”

Rosberg, who retired from the sport after winning the World Drivers’ Championship in 2016, was asked about his former teammate as he prepared for a long-term partnership with Ferrari. “Another weak point is probably a sensitive topic for you: Are both of your daughters fans of Lewis Hamilton? ” – he was asked this question on the German NDR talk show. Rosberg joked that his former Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton is banned from his home, with Hamilton bringing Christmas presents for his two daughters every year. The pair had a tense F1 rivalry with the Silver Arrows from 2013 to 2016. Rosberg replied: “That’s true too. It’s more than a weakness. This is a big deal.

His wife, Vivian Seybold, added that Hamilton “always gives our daughters Barbie dolls for Christmas.”

Rosberg added: “No, it’s great. He is very kind. We had a kind of feud. Now, each Christmas, his two children receive a big box full of presents on their doorstep from him, which is a good approach.

\’He has to stay outside the door,\’ he joked. \’But he’s welcome to leave the presents.\’

The tension between the duo was a destabilising force at times, but one which also underlined the competitiveness and desire to win at Mercedes, and Toto Wolff managed to keep things under control. There were several flashpoints: clashes in Belgium and Spain, ignored team orders, overtaking and pushing off track.

Close contact was inevitable as they shared the sharp end of the grid. Between 2014 and 2016, Hamilton and Rosberg occupied the top two spots in the standings every season.

During that period, they recorded 31 one-two finishes. Rosberg reached its peak in 2016 when he applied for Hamilton as five points – hanging while the British won the final four races – and then resigned and replaced by Valtteri Bottas Ta.

It happened quickly when we were fighting for the World Championships, but Rosberg had previously declared a rupture of relations to Eurosport. “But it’s always like that: you succeed in every race, you fight to win the title, and then it doesn’t work anymore. “It was something that was built up from one race to the next. If you want to control the fate of the World Cup, you can’t preach ‘love, peace and harmony.’ “Especially when the level of two riders is so high, you have to test your limits and step into the grey zone to win.” And then it often gets crowded.

Their rivalry was so important that it got its own name: the “Silver War.”