Nico Rosberg warns McLaren's Norris and Piastri of potential escalating tension

The German was teammates with the seven-time world champion from 2013 to 2016, with the two drivers battling for the world championship during all those years, apart from 2013.

During those seasons, the friendship that they once had in their early years of motorsport unravelled, with collisions and flashpoints in their rivalry occurring several times a season.

In 2025, McLaren are now the leading force, with a clear gap between themselves and the rest of the grid. However, Rosberg wonders whether the relationship between Piastri and Norris will deteriorate as the title fight continues.

The German started by explaining how the relationship between himself and Hamilton at Mercedes declined as much as it did.

"I first met Lewis when I was 13 years old, and we were friends all our lives. The problem is, once you get to F1, and even more so, once you suddenly start fighting for race wins every single time out there and you fight for every single championship, the intensity just boils over," he explains while speaking to Sky Sports.

"The most difficult moments were the crashes. Who was at fault? Who took the blame? It was incredibly intense at the time. In the heat of the moment, coming out of the car, it was so, so tough. Lewis and I never really took the time to have an open conversation about it," continued Rosberg openly.

Rosberg then wondered what might happen with the McLaren pair during these title fights, while the two of them have an amicable relationship.

"The similarity between what Lando and Oscar have now, comparing them with what Lewis and I had back in the day, is just the speed of the car," the 39-year-old stated.

"Every race out there, they're fighting for pole position, race wins, but it's still very harmonious. The question is, can it stay harmonious like that, or is it also going to run into big trouble?" concluded Rosberg.