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I think the surprising thing is that neither Hamilton or Rosberg are playing to their stereotypes, and there's actually very little between them.
We were told all over winter that Rosberg is the thinking man's driver and that Hamilton's pure speed may not be enough in the new formula, but in Bahrain Rosberg had the much faster car and was outwitted by his team mate. I'd expect the reverse to happen at some point this season.
I think Rosberg's pure speed has been underestimated, as well as Hamilton's other talents. He seems to have matured a lot since leaving McLaren and has lost that hot-headed nature which cost him dearly in his latter years there. I think the move, in retrospect, perhaps came a little too late in his career. His ability should have earned him more than one championship.
Rosberg is clearly more than holding his own and we're not seeing a good vs great team mate rivalry ala Webber and Vettel or Coulthard and Hakkinen. Coulthard and Webber, were very very good racing drivers who could beat their team-mates on their day but weren't really in with a chance over a course of a season.
Rosberg and Hamilton clearly have the best car, and they're being allowed to fight each other. I think a lot of people, many of them perhaps subconsciously, are trying to turn this into the next Prost/Senna rivalry, with Rosberg playing Prost and Hamilton as Senna. I would argue that the differences between them are nowhere near as polarised, and while that may not make such good material for a future film, it could make for a season which is very exciting in which luck decides who comes out on top, rather than approach.
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