Hamilton/Rosberg relationship 'ready to erupt' - Wolff

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Toto Wolff says the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg "is like a volcano that is ready to erupt" at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The two Mercedes drivers are going head-to-head for the drivers' championship this weekend, with Rosberg set to win his first title if he finishes on the podium at the Yas Marina Circuit. Wolff says the pair have kept a lid on things in recent races but with the title on the line he admits it won't take much to set off major tension between the two.

“Their relationship is like a volcano that is ready to erupt between the two of them," Wolff told The Sun. “Now, everything is on the line. Their relationship changed from 2013 where they were given equal opportunity and then again in 2014 when they could win races and the championship.

“The two are very different personalities. Both of them developed as individuals and as team players and the way I’ve seen them the last couple of months is that it was remarkably calm and positive.

“But in the moments where they have collided, it was very difficult between them and for the team.

“In the last couple of races we have had a new serene atmosphere. They have helped keep the team together and the spirit high.

“But we have to acknowledge that now everything is on the line. It is about winning and losing the drivers’ world championship. They can’t be in love with each other this weekend.

“They need to play all the tricks to put themselves in a situation to hopefully win the championship. We have already seen it start. The competition is very intense and like since 2013 we will just have to try to keep it together.”

Hamilton took pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Saturday evening, beating Rosberg by 0.3s in qualifying at the Yas Marina Circuit.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.