Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are preparing for the Monaco Grand Prix with a sense of "anger" - something that excites Mercedes' head of motorsport Toto Wolff.
The battle between the Silver Arrows team-mates is a fascinating one born of the desire to become Formula One world champion.
Hamilton pipped Rosberg to the crown last year and has started his title defence strongly, winning three of the first five races.
Rosberg hit back by winning in Spain last time out and is looking to close the gap further with a third straight win on the streets of Monte Carlo.
Hamilton edged proceedings on Thursday by topping the timesheet in both practice sessions, and Wolff believes an exciting weekend lies ahead.
"The rivalry has always been intense on track and we've seen it from the start of the day," the Mercedes boss said.
"They were both out there in anger, pretty competitive lap times straight from the beginning.
"And it's good for the team because it pushes the team - it pushes the two to new levels, competing against each other, so for Thursday we can be pretty satisfied."
Hamilton has finished second to Rosberg in the principality for the past two years and spoke about his dream of achieving a "perfect weekend" off the back of his new deal with Mercedes.
The 30-year-old ended speculation about his future by signing a three-year deal on Wednesday and reports suggest that contract could be worth up to £100million.
"You know the discussions around the contract have been out there for quite a while," Wolff said.
"We had the terms all ready a couple of weeks ago and declaring that it was a three-year term seemed reasonable to us, in order to show that it's a long-term relationship and stability is important for us.
"On the figures out there, I can't really comment. The only thing I can say is that there have been lots of nonsense out there as well."
Wolff was understandably coy when asked about the reported value of Hamilton's new deal, but was quick to defend Mercedes against suggestions it could be excessive.
"This is a market and in that market you have a value or you don't," he said.
"Lewis is one of the best racing drivers out there, maybe the best at the moment, and he has a huge value for the brand and fundamentally this is what drives his value.
"This is a classical win-win situation for the team and for himself."
Source: PA
