5. Mark Webber vs. Nico Rosberg – Brazil 2006
At this point, Nico Rosberg was still a rookie in Formula 1 and Mark Webber was well into his career, although struggling to find his feet with any team. At Williams, it was no different, and the 2006 season was a challenging year for the Aussie. It was made even worse when he and his teammate clashed in the early stages of the final race.
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Another early clash, how great!
As the race began, all cars raced through the Senna Esses and down to turn four at Interlagos. The Williams-Cosworth cars found themselves in their usual positions throughout the 2006 season, the mid-pack.
The lead Williams driver, Webber, was about to be passed down the inside. He knew to lift off earlier during this situation to be able to get a good exit out the corner. But this caught Rosberg by surprise. The German ultimately trounced into the back of his teammate, ending Webber’s race on the opening lap and sprinkling expensive Williams parts all over the track.
However, even though Rosberg caused the crash and his car sustained front wing damage and suspension damage, he thought he could continue — until he made the fast trip up the hill at the end of the lap. The suspension damage unsurprisingly turned into a failure, and Rosberg was sent spearing into the tire barrier, bringing out the beloved safety car.
So both Williams drivers were out on lap one. Webber went on to leave Williams at the end of the 2006 season and join Red Bull Racing. Rosberg stuck around for another three years before leaving for Mercedes, where he won a world championship before retiring in 2016.
Those are just a few notable Formula 1 teammate clashes that had previously slipped my mind. I am sure that there are plenty more out there from over the years.