Hamilton surprised by Rosberg feud

Relations between the Mercedes pair broke down after qualifying, when Hamilton suspected that Rosberg had unfairly driven off the road deliberately to scupper his rivals' final laps.

Hamilton refused to accept Rosberg's apology for what happened, and did not communicate with his team-mate on the podium after the race.

After a weekend of rising tensions, with Hamilton having suggested he was hungrier for the title than Rosberg, and it emerging the pair had fallen out in Spain, Mercedes now faces a tough time controlling the situation.

When asked as to what started the turn of events, Hamilton said he had no answer, and that he was surprised with the way the situation escalated.

"I don't know. I'm not entirely sure," he said. "Just competition, that's what we have this weekend.

"One weekend is one way and one weekend is another and this weekend went a direction I wasn't expecting, but it's a good experience.

"I'm aware of it now and I'll make sure I'm aware of it for the future."

Although the tensions between the drivers increases the chances of there being an on-track clash between them - as Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda has suggested - Hamilton thinks the matter can still be controlled enough for that not to happen.

"Niki keeps saying that but I think generally we have done quite a good job up until now," he said.

"It was as close as it could ever really be in Bahrain and we didn't crash.

"So I don't think that's going to be the case."