Lewis Hamilton says his relationship with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg is "surprisingly" good at the moment as the two fight over the 2016 world championship.
Mercedes' dominance in the last two years has allowed the pair to engage in a private battle for the world title, which in turn has put extra strain on their relationship. In 2014 it appeared to hit an all-time low when the drivers collided at the Belgian Grand Prix, but this year a similar collision at the Spanish Grand Prix has not been as divisive in the team. Rosberg currently leads Hamilton by 24 points in what promises to be a close title battle, but the British driver says their relationship has rarely been better.
"It's actually really good with Nico at the moment," he told the Daily Mail. "Really, really good. Surprisingly. I would definitely not have expected it to be where it is. I guess it is probably with age. He's a family man. He's got a kid. He has probably grown in that process and I have grown and come of age. The respect that we have always talked about is bigger than it has ever been.
"So now we generally just discuss things. Whether we're unhappy about something or not, we discuss it face to face. If I have a problem, I knock on his door and ask if I can speak to him privately. We never address it publically or in front of the team. So far, at least. We say straight up, 'Hey man, I wasn't cool with that'. And he does that to me as often as I do to him. The other day, I was swimming in my pool -- the building we live in in Monaco, there is a shared communal pool -- and I guess he saw me from his apartment and came down and sat on the diving board and when I finished a few laps, we sat and talked for 20 minutes or half an hour. In a relaxed state."
Hamilton is aware the relationship will still have low points, but says the respect between the two runs deep.
"We are going to have our ups and downs and there are going to be times where we hate each other and when we like each other but ultimately, when we have all retired and got kids and stuff, the respect is always going to be there."