F1: Mercedes rivals, Rosberg and Hamilton warm up with burgers and bling

Mercedes title rivals Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton limbered up for the U.S. Grand Prix with burgers and bling on Thursday. Rosberg, 17 points behind Hamilton with 100 still to be won from the remaining three races of the Formula One season, was certainly looking forward to the weekend with relish. “I’ve been here since Monday with my wife, just having a great time and enjoying Texas and getting used to the time difference,” he said. “I had the best burger of my whole life here yesterday,” he grinned, having already given his Twitter followers a taste of what he was talking about with a picture of him eating dinner. Hamilton, who has won the last four races and is chasing his 10th win of the season, returned to one of his favourite tracks sporting an ostentatious new adornment at the regular Thursday news conference. [caption id=“attachment_1781211” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Hamilton likes art or so he says. AP[/caption] Around his neck on a long golden chain, like a massive medallion, hung a miniature jewelled gold picture frame with a copy of an Andy Warhol silkscreen painting of 1950s Mercedes 300SL cars. If some onlookers wondered whether his art was in the right place, Hamilton seemed pleased with the effect. “I’m really into art,” explained the 2008 world champion after flying in from New York where he made a brief appearance on NBC’s Today show. “I couldn’t afford the real Andy Warhol painting so I thought I would get it on a miniature scale so that’s what I have.” Rosberg might be wishing his team mate could wear the necklace on the racetrack too as extra weight to slow him down, although it might just give him more momentum given his recent performances. The Briton is enjoying the biggest lead he has had all year and knows also that nobody has won nine, let alone 10, races in a single season and not gone on to take the title. However nobody has had to contend with double points being awarded in the last race before, a novelty introduced this season to the dismay of many fans even if it takes the title battle down to the wire. Hamilton could in theory turn up in Abu Dhabi with 11 race wins to Rosberg’s four and yet still lose the title if he suffers a technical failure and the German wins. It was not something he really wanted to think about. “I think the question is ‘What is fair?’,” he said. “Do I really agree with it? I don’t know if any of us agree with it or do not agree with it but it is the way it is and you just have to deal with it and hope for the best really. “It would suck if that was the case, big time, but I’m not even going to put that negative energy out there. I’m just going to try and do the best job I can with the car that I have and what will be will be.” Reuters