Lewis Hamilton couldn’t have been aware of the beast he was about to awaken with a simple throw of a hat back in 2015.
The British Formula 1 megastar had just clinched his third world title at Austin with three races left to go, and with Mercedes well ahead in the new era of engine regulations, it looked like his path was clear to complete dominance.
Hamilton had just won his 17th Grand Prix out of a possible 23, and with complete command of the sport, Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world titles was already in his sight.
However, entering the cool down room after putting second-placed Nico Rosberg and third-placed Sebastian Vettel back in their boxes, Hamilton then went a little too far when rubbing it in.
Rosberg had started the United States Grand Prix in pole position, but a bold move from Hamilton at turn one forced him off the track and down to fifth.
The German driver would show his talent by regaining second and moving to within three seconds of Hamilton by the chequered flag, but even with 56 laps to simmer down, he was fuming post-race.
Sitting in an armchair in the cool down room clearly seething over the first corner controversy and the loss of the title to teammate Hamilton, Rosberg was the perfect picture of a sulking child.
And in response, Hamilton picked his second-place Pirelli cap off the table and chucked it over.
Rosberg threw it back, and not a word was uttered in front of the cameras as the pair exchanged the most intense of glances.
Mercedes technical director Paddy Lowe stood by awkwardly, and then, the most bizarre of podium interviewers, Elton John had to put up with more tension as a sullen Rosberg said he was ‘disappointed’ at the ‘unbelievable’ events of the race.
Speaking in the FIA press conference minutes later, he added: “Turn one for sure was very aggressive… What am I going to say? I haven’t seen it again, so how the hell… I can’t comment yet.
“I need to see it, as always. For sure it was extremely aggressive, we hit each other, or I would say, Lewis came into me, so obviously that’s not good. I can’t say more than that.”
Rosberg later described the hat toss as ‘typical games’ but the media intrigue over the pair of former friends continued with team principal Toto Wolff confirming there would be further talks to reduce tensions.
“There is no need,” Hamilton commented. “Everyone has a right to an opinion but it doesn’t matter. I won the race.”
Whether Wolff did interject is rather irrelevant, as whatever happened only proved to strengthen Rosberg who would win the final three races of the season.
At the start of 2016, he increased that streak to seven, taking a commanding and unexpected lead over Hamilton which he managed to hold onto for his first-ever world title.
Rosberg would retire from exhaustion less than 24 hours after finally pipping Hamilton at the Abu Dhabi decider, later revealing the extraordinary measures he went to in order to conquer the revered Brit.
Taller and heavier than Hamilton, Rosberg stopped his favourite exercise, cycling, in order to lose muscle mass, and even removed his trademark yellow paint from his helmet to lose vital kilograms and match his rival.
All of that worked for one of the most unexpected title upsets in modern F1, but maybe, just maybe, Rosberg wouldn’t have gone to such extraordinary lengths if Hamilton hadn’t humiliated him in front of the world with a simple hat toss back in Austin.
