Mercedes left furious after latest 'unacceptable' Lewis Hamilton-Nico Rosberg collision – On This Day

10 years ago today, Formula 1 witnessed one of the defining moments of the bitter Mercedes rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

The pair's title battle reached boiling point on the final lap of the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix when they collided while fighting for victory at the Red Bull Ring, handing Hamilton an unlikely triumph and leaving Rosberg to limp home in fourth.

Rosberg had started from pole position and controlled much of the race, despite carrying a brake-by-wire issue in the closing stages. 

Hamilton, who had recovered from a poor start, steadily reduced the gap to his team-mate as the chequered flag approached.

With Rosberg struggling for pace, Hamilton launched an attack around the outside of Turn 3 on the final lap. 

Rosberg defended the inside line but ran wide into the Mercedes driver. The contact sent Hamilton across the run-off area before he gathered his car and continued to take the victory.

Rosberg's front wing was destroyed and his damaged Mercedes dropped down the order, crossing the line in fourth place behind Max Verstappen and Kimi Räikkönen.

Mercedes frustration as title fight turns toxic

The collision represented another flashpoint in one of F1's most intense intra-team rivalries. The pair had already clashed on multiple occasions since becoming title contenders, but the Spielberg incident marked a significant escalation.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described the collision as "unacceptable", while non-executive chairman Niki Lauda placed the blame squarely on Rosberg, insisting the German had "braked too late and gone into Lewis".

The stewards also judged Rosberg to be predominantly at fault. He received a 10-second time penalty, although it did not alter his finishing position, and was handed two penalty points on his super licence.

The result proved significant in the championship fight. Hamilton's victory reduced Rosberg's advantage to just 11 points and injected fresh momentum into his title challenge.

Although Rosberg would ultimately hold his nerve to win the 2016 drivers' championship by five points before retiring days later, the collision in Austria remains one of the most memorable and controversial chapters in the Mercedes civil war.