Nico Rosberg has opened up about his intense rivalry with former Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, suggesting that while their relationship has improved since he left the sport, they will never be close friends. The pair, who raced together from their karting days, experienced a breakdown in their relationship during their four seasons as teammates at Mercedes between 2013 and 2016.
A High-Stakes Rivalry
The 2016 season proved to be the peak of their conflict, featuring several on-track collisions, including incidents at the Spanish and Austrian Grands Prix. Rosberg ultimately secured his only Drivers’ Championship by a five-point margin over Hamilton. Speaking on the official F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, Rosberg described the campaign as “crazy intense,” noting that he had pushed himself beyond his limits to secure the title.
Reflecting on his decision to retire just five days after winning the championship, Rosberg admitted that the move was “scary” but necessary. He explained that he had reached his peak and could not realistically maintain that level of performance year after year. While Team Principal Toto Wolff accepted his resignation, Rosberg noted that the late Niki Lauda, then the team’s Non-Executive Chairman, was initially angry due to the difficult position the sudden departure left the team in.
Prioritizing the Team
Rosberg emphasized that his rapid announcement was intended to give Mercedes the best possible chance to find a replacement, which eventually led to Valtteri Bottas joining the team. “I was compromising their team, unfortunately,” Rosberg said. “That’s why I decided on telling them so quickly and announcing my retirement so quickly – it was only for the team.” He added that he would have preferred to celebrate his victory for a month before announcing his retirement, but he felt it was important to minimize the disruption to the team.
Regarding the final race of the 2016 season in Abu Dhabi, where Hamilton attempted to back Rosberg into the chasing pack to hinder his title chances, Rosberg acknowledged the difficulty of the moment. “It was a hard one, though, because he didn’t obey the team orders. He was bunching us up,” he recalled. However, he now views the incident with perspective, noting that it made his eventual championship victory feel even more significant.
Current Relationship Status
Since retiring, Rosberg has remained involved in the sport as a pundit. He described his current relationship with Hamilton as “neutral,” noting that the tension has naturally dissipated over time. While he acknowledged that they are on better terms than they were during their championship battles, he dismissed the idea that they would ever become close.
“We’re just neutral and it’s okay, it’s nice,” Rosberg said. “We will just not be best friends ever, you know?”
