Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc will most likely clash on-track as they fight desperately to win the Formula 1 drivers' title this year, according to Nico Rosberg.
It has been clear from pretty much the first race of the year that they would be the two gunning for glory in 2022. Verstappen has defended his title admirably so far and holds a 38-point lead over Leclerc at the half-way stage.
Remarkably, whenever they have gone wheel-to-wheel with each other, Verstappen and Leclerc have raced well but been respectful to each other. It is a much different picture from the one last year, when the Dutchman and Lewis Hamilton had several ugly run-ins on the track.
Rosberg is also no stranger to a bitter rivalry, having endured a tough relationship with Hamilton when they were Mercedes team-mates. And the 2016 champion believes it is only a matter of time until the respect between Verstappen and Leclerc sours.
"Honestly, that surprises me massively," he told Sky Sports F1 when asked why it has been so cordial to date. "They have gone wheel-to-wheel so much and so intensely and there has never been a discussion moment or anything. It has been a huge surprise, but I would bet, probably even my house, that it is not going to last the whole season.
"The amount of times they go wheel-to-wheel, there must come a moment where there will be some wheel-banging or different opinions on an incident. Let's see. As a fan, we want to see things heating up a bit more but I am sure we will get that soon."
Ferrari have won the last two races and look to have the stronger car at the moment. They are particularly impressive over one lap, with Leclerc dominating in the pole position rankings with seven to his name out of 12 races this season.
The Monegasque's biggest problem has been converting those into race wins. His victory last time out in Austria was just his third of the season, with engine failures causing the loss of at least 50 points at the Spanish and Azerbaijan Grands Prix.
Leclerc is on pole for the French Grand Prix and will be looking to close the gap to his rival by converting that into another victory. But Ferrari have warned that they are wary of more engine problems scuppering their chances with the issue in their power units still not resolved.
