German media predicting close Mercedes fight

Jul.30 (GMM) F1's respected German journalists are expecting the fight between Mercedes' warring teammates to remain close in 2016.

At the halfway point of the season, Lewis Hamilton has taken a narrow championship lead for the first time but Michael Schmidt, the respected Auto Motor und Sport correspondent, thinks Nico Rosberg is still in the fight.

"They are almost the same," he told Bild newspaper.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung's Rene Hofmann adds: "In critical moments, Hamilton's ego, instinct and determination prevail.

"He thinks of nothing but himself and his success," he added.

But free-to-air broadcaster RTL's presenter Florian Konig thinks: "Nico's intelligence, diligence and analytics will keep the natural talent of Hamilton at bay."

Finally, Bild reporter Helmut Uhl said: "The heart says Nico, the head says Hamilton.

"But I am going to agree with (pop singer) Joris' hit and say 'Herz uber Kopf (heart over head)."