Look who's talking???
Nico Rosberg has told title rival Lewis Hamilton to keep his racing clean as the two go head-to-head for the championship at the final round of the season in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
Rosberg is 17 points behind Hamilton, but in with a shot at the title if he wins Sunday's race and his team-mate finishes outside the top two positions. Mercedes has been the dominant force this year, with 11 one-two finishes, meaning Rosberg needs an unusual result to stand a chance of winning his first title.
The battle between the two has intensified as the season has progressed, with the major flashpoint coming at the Belgian Grand Prix when Rosberg made contact with Hamilton while trying to overtake. Hamilton believes ground rules have been set since then in order to avoid a repeat and there is nothing more he can do to ensure that, but in Thursday's press conference ahead of the race weekend Rosberg issued a very public reminder to his rival.
"Lewis can do something to keep it clean, which is drive cleanly himself," he said. "So it's not like he can't do anything."
Rosberg is optimistic he stands a good chance this weekend, saying the Williams - the second fastest car at recent races - could get in the mix with a good start.
"A lot of things can happen and it can happen as easily as a Williams having a great start and slotting in between us two," Rosberg added. "This track is one of the most difficult to overtake, we were looking at that this morning - the speed difference that you need to have to overtake the guy in front is really very big at this track. That would be one opportunity, for example. There are many scenarios, but as I say, I'm optimistic.
"I wouldn't use the word pressure, but it's going to be an intense weekend and a great battle, so I'll look forward to it. That's what I've been working towards for a while now to have a chance here and Lewis is a great competitor and opponent and it will be hopefully a great end to the season. I'm here to try and win the race, but I then need a bit of help from Lewis so that he doesn't finish second. That's it - I'm hoping Lewis can come up with something."
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