Motorsport: Hamilton and Rosberg try putting Spa in past, but cracks show

Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton (left) and teammate Nico Rosberg are still at odds. Photo / AP

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, the two adversaries who made their team's worst nightmare a reality the last time they met on the track, were on their best behaviour when they came face to face in front of the world's glare yesterday. But while their words gave little away, their body language revealed a simmering rivalry in which the cracks have barely been papered over.

Hamilton, the psychological winner from the attritional Belgian GP but the loser in the championship as he is now 29 points adrift, sat smiling, nonchalantly taking selfies with the press and photographers crammed behind him.

Rosberg, meanwhile, slumped in his chair a few feet away, his arms crossed, with the look of a man who would have preferred to spend half an hour anywhere other than Monza's cramped press room.

From what they did and did not say, it was clear the two remain implacably opposed. Asked repeatedly if he regarded their accident on lap two at Spa-Francorchamps as a "racing incident" - Rosberg's initial judgment and that of the stewards - Hamilton dodged the question.

Asked if he could trust his Mercedes teammate in wheel-to-wheel combat, Hamilton was not exactly unequivocal, suggesting some of their mutual understanding had eroded.

"Trust is a big word and it's not something I would particularly apply to racing on the track," he said. "Me and Nico have been racing for a long time and I think we have set a good foundation a long, long time ago, so that's what we work from."

He went on to suggest he was unclear as to the rules of engagement, after the FIA failed to intervene or reopen an investigation following Hamilton's explosive claim in Belgium that his teammate admitted acting with deliberate intent.

"Their problem is that the scenario is always different so the same rule doesn't always apply exactly - sometimes it is difficult to say which rules apply to what situation. How do we move forward from that? Does that mean we can now all say we can race a lot closer and if the guy in front comes off and is out of the race nothing will happen, so they will be more relaxed about it? Or does it mean if it happens again there will be a penalty? I don't have a full answer."

Rosberg, quizzed on what had caused the shift from defiant on the evening of the race to profusely apologetic a few days later, said it was a simple case of "time - and hearing other people's opinions". He appeared unwillingly contrite, even though he insisted he had arrived at his own mea culpa.

In the main, they successfully toed the Mercedes line, despite 30 minutes of questioning. Divisions in the team after Spa? Nothing of the sort. Worries about the effect of the crash for the rest of the year? They are just focusing on winning races. The usual refrains, but what was unusual was the manner in which they both tackled it.

From the off, Hamilton seemed as relaxed as if he was on his Monaco yacht. He walked in with a broad smile before beckoning Mercedes' press man to hand over his phone. Then, much to the packed press corps' astonishment, he started snapping away, clearly keen to savour a moment in which for the first time all year he has finally got the upper hand, in the mind games at least.

But Hamilton and Rosberg were not the sole focus yesterday. Fresh from more speculation surrounding who will drive for McLaren next year, Sebastian Vettel finally admitted a lucrative approach had been made. "There was already a lot of talk at Spa on Thursday, and there was talk that I had signed for US$150 million ($180 million) for three years ... I think it is normal that you have a lot of talks. But it doesn't change what you do on a day-to-day basis." Telegraph Group Ltd