F1 title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg must calm their conflict

The Mercedes-GP pair must prove to their bosses they can co-exist in the same team, starting at the Italian Grand Prix.

Mercedes-GP drivers Lewis Hamilton, left, and Nico Rosberg, right, collided at the Belgian Grand Prix. Lars Baron/ Getty Images.

Eddie Jordan, who ran his own team in Formula One between 1991 and 2004, is now a media pundit on English television and has always had a gift for saying the sensational to garner a headline.
But for once, the Irishman did not appear to be speaking out of turn at the Belgian Grand Prix last month when he claimed "a war situation has possibly been declared" at Mercedes-GP, following the collision between their drivers, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton during the race.
All the ingredients are there for the conflict.
The impact came on Lap 2 of the race, following a number of other incidents between the two this season that did not involve contact on the track.
Hamilton later said that Rosberg had admitted causing the coming together "on purpose".
Nobody could not blame Mercedes team bosses Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda for looking completely exasperated by the situation at Spa-Francorchamps.
The tension has since ratcheted down a few notches, with Rosberg admitting responsibility for the clash and apologising in a statement, while Hamilton on his website claimed that he could still work alongside the German as he emphasised the importance of team harmony.
It is hardly surprising that reconciliatory gestures have been made behind closed doors, largely at the behest of Mercedes chiefs, but it does neither Rosberg or Hamilton any favours to create an environment that can be described as "war".
That is because if Mercedes did not think that the pair could work together, then they may be inclined to replace one of them, which would represent a disaster for whichever driver is sacked.
The Mercedes has been the dominant machine in 2014, winning nine of the 12 races, and taking pole position in 11 of them.
There is an argument that, if not for mechanical issues, bad luck and inter-team squabbling, Mercedes could have posted a 100 per cent victory rate this year.
They have not, and Daniel Ricciardo has seized on every winning chance that has come his way in his Red Bull Racing car.
He still has an outside chance of winning the drivers' title, trailing Rosberg by 64 points with seven races remaining.
The fact that Ricciardo has a chance at all will irritate Mercedes, who doubtlessly believe the Australian only won in Belgium because of their drivers colliding.
The pair had been running first and second before Rosberg clipped the left-rear tyre on Hamilton's car as he tried to go around the outside at Les Combes.
Hamilton's tyre punctured, ruining his race, while Rosberg ran a slow first stint with a damaged front wing, which had to be changed at his first pit stop.
Yet, despite making three stops in the race, compared to Ricciardo's two, Rosberg ended up just three seconds behind at the end of the race.
The Mercedes were the class of the field, yet ended up with a second place and a retirement to show for their dominance because of Rosberg's error.
Rosberg felt he could have won in Hungary in July, but Hamilton's refusal to move aside for him, despite team orders, ensured that he finished fourth.
While on paper that was insubordination by Hamilton, Mercedes acknowledged it had been naive to expect the Briton to help his teammate, given that they are fighting for the championship.
But to Mercedes, that still adds up to two races lost because of their drivers' behaviour.
That Rosberg and Hamilton are focussed on the drivers' title is understandable. Only one of them can leave the final round of the season, the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as champion on November 23, and given the speed of their cars, their closest challenger has nearly always been man in the matching car.
But their rivalry has impacted the team's overall results, and clearly, both are aware they must work better together if they want to remain with the team.
Both are under contract. Rosberg signed a new long-term deal earlier in the year, though the length of it has not been publicly revealed, and Hamilton is committed until at least the end of 2015.
If Mercedes did not think they could work together, or that they were harming the team's fortunes, as they did in Hungary and Belgium, then it is not beyond the realm of possibility that a break-up could follow.
Both Rosberg and Hamilton have waited years to have a championship-calibre car at their disposal. Both know that, with the present engine regulations, there is no reason why Mercedes's dominance will not extend into next season and beyond.
Rosberg, who has been in F1 since 2006, had never before had a car capable of fighting for the title, while Hamilton, since winning his lone championship in 2008, has not had the fastest car in the field again until now.
So, having shown great patience, both would be reticent to give that up.
Fans only have to look at the case of Fernando Alonso as a warning. Having won his second title in a row in 2006, the Spaniard moved to McLaren-Mercedes in 2007 from Renault.
Despite having a quick car and missing the title by a single point, he fell out badly with McLaren's management during a controversial year, to the extent the team felt they could not keep on employing him, despite his obvious speed. They released him from his contract at the end of that year.
McLaren won the drivers' title through Hamilton the following year. Alonso was forced to watch, wondering what might have been had things been less fiery in 2007, in an uncompetitive Renault with which he was saddled with for the next two years until he moved to Ferrari in 2010.
Rosberg and Hamilton should be mindful of that, and will not want to be pushed out of the team because of petty problems with each other.
So, if playing nice, at least on paper, keeps them in the best seat on the grid, then so be it.
But it is actions on the track that speak much louder than words issued through publicists and press agents, and it will be fascinating to see how they operate around each other on Sunday, even though they have been given clear permission to continue racing.
The long straights of Monza should strongly suit the Mercedes cars, and both drivers have a reasonable chance of starting on the front row for the 53-lap race.
They say they can still work in harmony, while fighting for the championship.
Now they have to prove it.
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