F1 News: Nico Rosberg On Heart Warming Lewis Hamilton Revelation - "Repaired Our Friendship"
Renowned for their intense on-track rivalry nearly a decade ago, former Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton reconciled their friendship following heated tensions during the battle for the 2016 world championship. The former has now revealed a heart warming touch that helped repair their relationship.
Key Takeaways:
- Former Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, known for their intense on-track rivalry nearly a decade ago, have reconciled their friendship following heated tensions during the 2016 world championship battle.
- The rivalry between Rosberg and Hamilton, childhood friends turned teammates at Mercedes in 2013, escalated during their fight for the 2016 championship. The intense on-track battles in races like Austria and Spain contributed to a breakdown in their once-amicable relationship.
- Despite the competitive tensions, Nico Rosberg won the 2016 championship but retired unexpectedly. The rift in their friendship was later healed, with Lewis Hamilton making efforts to repair the relationship. Rosberg mentioned that they have repaired their friendship and occasionally meet, with Hamilton sending generous Christmas gifts to Rosberg's daughters.
Making his Formula 1 debut in 2006 with Williams, Nico Rosberg entered the scene a year before Lewis Hamilton joined McLaren. The childhood friends turned teammates at Mercedes in 2013, where their once-amicable relationship from their junior careers soured, leading to an infamous breakdown during the 2016 season.
The intense rivalry spilled onto the track when the two Mercedes drivers made contact in Austria and Spain. Eventually, though, Rosberg won the 2016 championships but soon retired unexpectedly. Speaking of the heated track battles, Rosberg had once told Eurosport that he had to go "into the grey areas" for the championship. He said:
"It [the friendship breakdown] happened immediately when we were fighting for the World Championship, not before.
"But that's always the case: When you're fighting for success in every race and for titles, it doesn't work anymore.
"It was a build-up from one race to the next. If you want to decide the world championship for yourself, you can't play ‘love, peace and harmony’.
"You have to test limits and go into grey areas to win, especially when two drivers are at such a high level. Then it often gets tight."
However, the rivalry had left a major dent in their relationship, which was healed through efforts made by the seven-time world champion.
Revealing to the German publication Suddeutsche Zeitung, Rosberg said:
"Lewis and I have repaired our friendship. We see each other from time to time. Every Christmas my daughters receive a huge box full of gifts from him."