Nico Rosberg reveals details about his friendship with Lewis Hamilton. The two drivers were friends in their youth, but their relationship soured due to the internal title fight at Mercedes. Nowadays, Rosberg and Hamilton get along better, as the German shares: ‘My children receive a huge box of gifts from him every Christmas’.
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton battled for the title as Mercedes teammates for four seasons. Until the German driver came out on top in 2016, and immediately left Formula 1. The two men were good friends before this rivalry, also known as the Silver War within Mercedes, but the internal title fight drove the two drivers apart. Nine years after his departure from the premier class, Rosberg reveals that his relationship with Hamilton has improved.
Rosberg’s daughters – Alaïa and Naila Rosberg – however, are fans of Hamilton. “That’s more than a weak point. That’s a big problem,” the former driver jokes on the NDR Talkshow. Rosberg, however, quickly becomes more serious. “No, that’s great. That’s nice for him. We had a kind of rivalry. Now, both children receive a huge box of gifts from him at the door every Christmas. That’s a nice approach.” Yet, Rosberg can’t resist another joke about his old rivalry with the British world champion: “Lewis has to stay outside. But he can leave the gifts.”
Cause
According to Rosberg, the friendship with the Brit soured quite quickly after Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013. “It happened as soon as we were competing for the world championship, not before,” says the former Mercedes champion to Eurosport. “But that’s always the case. If you’re fighting for success and titles in every race, a friendship doesn’t work anymore. If you want to win the world championship, you can’t play ‘love, peace, and harmony’. You have to push boundaries and explore grey areas to win, especially when two drivers are competing at such a high level. Then it often gets exciting,” concludes Rosberg.
