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They accept that Max Verstappen is a real threat, even that there is a risk he could 'do a Prost'.

For parallels in history, one can look back, for example, to 1986, when the Williams was the fastest car but Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet made a pair of warring team-mates and McLaren's Alain Prost drove a wonderful season to slip through the middle and claim the title in a dramatic final race in Australia.

Senna won three times in Imola and took a record eight pole positions, but his second victory on Italian soil saw his rivalry with then McLaren team-mate Alain Prost turn sour.

Following a red flag and delay for a terrifying accident involving Gerhard Berger's Ferrari on lap four, Senna overtook Frenchman Prost - who had been leading before the accident - halfway round the first lap after the restart, apparently reneging on a pre-race agreement.

The lesson of F1 history is that it can often end in tears - think Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at McLaren, or Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso at McLaren, or Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.