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Why the latest Hamilton-Rosberg battle won’t have the same edge

OPINION: Even four years after it ended, the rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg has yet to be topped for drama and intrigue by anything F1 has seen since. But the next iteration commencing in 2021 will be played out on much different terms...

It remains one of the most fractious team-mate partnerships of recent times and provided the defining rivalry of Formula 1 in the 2010s. Lewis Hamilton versus Nico Rosberg, the two old karting friends-turned bitter combatants for glory in the first three seasons of the turbo hybrid era, provided a compelling focal point for F1 at a time when a lack of opposition from Ferrari and Red Bull meant the Silver Arrows went into almost every weekend expecting to win.

But the enmity that developed between the pair - with flash-points at Monaco and Spa in 2014, then most memorably of all at Barcelona in 2016, allowing Max Verstappen to score his first win - only pushed both onto greater heights.

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Author James Newbold

James Newbold is Autosport's Plus Editor, responsible for coordinating website feature content.

In a sign of things to come, having completed his Politics and International Relations degree at the University of East Anglia in 2015, he left his graduation ceremony early to catch the last train to Brussels for the following day's Spa 24 Hours.

After a period as a freelancer, he joined the Autosport staff in 2018 and won the Motorsport UK young journalist of the year award. He initially edited Autosport magazine's Performance and Engineering supplements before joining the website team in his current role in 2020.

A keen enthusiast of anything that can be categorised unusual or niche, he enjoys unearthing little-known stories across all branches of motorsport, but has spent most of his career covering sportscars and is a regular part of the Le Mans 24 Hours reporting team.

He lives with his wife and children in Plymouth, England.