http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05j20xg
Not quite sure how you get halfway to signing someone but what do I know.
I can't see Max being as compliant as Bottas though - Mercedes could be in danger of having the same driver cauldron they had when Rosberg was there. No way would Max play a supporting role.
Lest we forget that before Mercedes had Hamilton they had Schumacher and Rosberg. While neither was vying for the championship, neither was playing a 'supporting' role either. I don't think Mercedes wants a #2 driver. They want the two best drivers they can get, period. If it causes fireworks great; just so long as they aren't knocking each other out.
I think most teams take this approach now. Usually one driver is better than the other, but gone are the days of hiring a driver who is going to 'settle' for number 2. True, it's nice to have drivers who will understand that maximizing the team strategy is a good thing, but nobody wants to arrive at Australia knowing they're there to help their teammate win.
Hopefully Max is mellowing. He's hardly the first driver to enter the sport on a wave of arrogance and then settle down. (There's plenty of drivers who entered the sport humbly have have grown into a wave of arrogance)