Lewis Hamilton admitted his relationship with Nico Rosberg reached ‘crisis point’ this year as the Mercedes team-mates battled for the Formula One world championship.

Hamilton triumphed at the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi on Sunday after he won in the desert and Rosberg, struck down by gremlins in his Mercedes, failed to finish in the points.

Hamilton and Rosberg’s friendship, established when they battled it out on the European karting scene in their teens, was pushed to the limit this season as they fought for the biggest prize in motor racing. And Hamilton admits it was the ‘most intense’ of his career.

Lewis Hamilton picks up a young fan and gives the thumbs up to the crowd on his visit to the BBC studios

The British star was mobbed my fans outside the BBC’s Salford headquarters on Tuesday morning

Hamilton poses for a selfie with a fan before sitting on the tyre of his world-championship winning Mercedes

The British star appeared in a relaxed mood as he dissected his season and battle with Nico Rosberg

Hamilton later posted this picture to his social media accounts thanking his fans for their support

Asked whether their relationship reached crisis point, Hamilton, who touched down in London on Monday evening, said: ‘It did. It did. It was very tough.

‘We have known each other since we were 13 so we have that history coming into this season. It has been the most intense battle I’ve ever had.’

Hamilton and Rosberg endured a very public falling-out in Monaco after the Briton accused his team-mate of deliberately running off the circuit to scupper his qualifying lap.

Hamilton arrived at Heathrow Airport on Monday evening, a day after sealing the Formula One world title

He touched down with Nicole Scherzinger, who had flown to Abu Dhabi to watch her man on Sunday

Rosberg started from pole and won the race. Hamilton tellingly said afterwards: ‘We are colleagues, not friends’.

The pair then collided at the Belgian Grand Prix in August with Hamilton suffering a puncture and failing to finish as Rosberg came home in second.

‘There is a lot of stuff that goes on, the psychological warfare throughout the year, and obviously Spa was very, very hard to take, when he got 18 points and I did not finish,’ said Hamilton.

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Nico Rosberg poses with Hamilton after his team-mate sealed the drivers’ championship in Abu Dhabi

Rosberg was back behind the wheel on Tuesday, taking part in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi

The Belgian stewards viewed the collision as a racing incident, but Rosberg was given a rather humiliating slap on the wrists by Mercedes and also hit with a six-figure fine. Hamilton won next time out in Italy, his first of a decisive five-race winning streak.

‘The following days after Spa were really important,’ added Hamilton, who was speaking on BBC Breakfast.

‘How I came back from that, trained and got my head back into the game. I changed my approach for the next race in terms of what we did in the race and we won.’