NICO ROSBERG has for the first time expressed his "regret" over his bust-up with Lewis Hamilton at the Belgian Grand Prix but is still refusing to apologise.

It is now all-out war between the Mercedes team-mates following their collision on lap two of Sunday's race at Spa.

Hamilton reacted with fury after being forced to retire due to the damage caused when his rear tyre was punctured by Rosberg's front endplate.

The German finished second behind Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and stretched his Drivers' Championship lead over the Brit to 29 points.

Hamilton claimed that in a heated post-race meeting his rival said his actions were intentional.

But on his Facebook page Rosberg insisted the collision had been "a racing incident".

"That was a tough race," he said. "We had the pace to win but the incident cost us a top result, so I'm really disappointed because for the team it was a bad day.

"As drivers we are here to entertain and show the fans a good time, so our duels are always on the limit. I regret that Lewis and I touched but I see it as a racing incident just as the stewards did.

"I was quicker down the straight and went to the outside as the inside line was blocked.

"I gave it a go. After we touched I realised my front wing was damaged. Next second I saw Lewis also had a problem, which was unfortunate for him and the team.

"We sat down after the race but there will be some more meetings to be held in order to avoid races like this."

At the circuit in Spa Rosberg was loudly booed as he stood on the podium while many F1 fans reacted to his Facebook comments by calling him a "cheat".