Nico Rosberg opened up in a wide ranging interview with the Guardian, as the 2016 Formula 1 world championship enters the crucial second half, with only a single point separating him from his Mercedes teammate, nemesis and once a friend - Lewis Hamilton - in the championship battle.
Questioned about his apparent calm under duress, Rosberg responded, “No, no, I’m not amazingly calm. I’m just as human as everyone else. Sometimes people forget that when watching fast cars on TV. I also get nervous and I see the glass half-empty and I have self-doubt in the most difficult moments.”
After losing the title battle last year at the USA Grand Prix, Rosberg went on to win the final three races of the season, then took victories in the first four races of this season.
“Momentum does play a role,” acknowledged the 31 year old. “We’ve seen it with Lewis and I from 2014. We’ve always gone in waves. It’s strange but it must be time for his wave to be ending now. But, yeah, it’s difficult to have a race like Silverstone. Second place – I could have lived with that but to lose points and finish third? That’s tough.”
As for his F1 title ambitions Rosberg explained, "I’ve been very successful [in F1] and I hope to get more success. My dream is to win the world championship and I’m fighting for that. I’m giving it everything. This is a special period. It’s almost unique in F1 history – to have such a [dominant] car for such a long period. Every race I can be on pole if I do well – and I can win. It’s unreal.”
Rosberg and Hamilton are graced with the best car and team on the grid, they are way ahead of their rivals in the points standings, thus the battle is between the two of them for the crown. It will either be Hamilton's fourth world title or Rosberg's first.
“I don’t think of it that way. It’s just a great opportunity. Of course it helps for motivation when you’re fighting for wins. If we were 12th and 13th it’s not the same. Fighting for the title is incredibly intensive. The learning curve is steep initially. I’ve learned a lot and made massive progress. The actual driving doesn’t change much but it’s such a difficult situation because you’re racing together and, at the same time, against each other. That’s a unique challenge.”
The Mercedes duo, who have been rivals since their karting days, have collided on a couple of occasions this year. In Spain they retired on the opening lap due to the coming together, in Austria they were lucky to escape without huge consequences (such as instant DNF for both) when they collided on the final lap of the race.
“It’s very difficult to find the right line,” said Rosberg of the incidents, “I have a duty for the team and for them it’s so important to win the constructors’ title but where is the line to my ego and what I want? It’s always difficult. But this is my racing family.”
After the fracas in Austria, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff considered team orders to prevent his drivers colliding. Indeed the 'rules of engagement' were altered with dire consequences for the perpetrator/s should the same happen again in the future.
Although Rosberg said he would abide by team orders should they arise, but he admitted, “Team orders is definitely the last thing I want so I hope it stays in this direction.”
Hamilton is highly regarded as one of the very best of the current generation of F1 drivers, thus beating him is a special prospect for Rosberg, “Beating Lewis... he’s one of the sweetest opponents. He’s one of those opponents where you get the greatest satisfaction from beating him because he’s world champion.”
Asked by the Guardian if he disliked Hamilton, Rosberg revealed, “I have huge respect for him but, well, we’re not best friends at the moment. That’s the difficulty between us now. We’re just both so competitive and that makes it difficult to be friends because the competition is so extreme.”
Truth is they were once friends when they battled in the obscurity of karting in their teens.
“It was the same back then,” recalled Rosberg. “How many pizzas could we eat? Who could run fastest from the lift to the hotel room? It would be competition all the way but there was not the surrounding influence with a team, the media and money. That makes it difficult now.”
Much has been made of Hamilton's humble beginnings, as opposed to Rosberg's affluent childhood, which he shrugs it off as a media made myth, “I’ve always wanted to achieve things on my own – and I hated buying jeans with my dad’s money. I’d buy the minimum for whatever was necessary.
“My mum grew up after the war in Germany and she used to take cigarettes from the floor and smoke the last bit left by American soldiers. They had nothing. She grew up like that. And my dad is very money-conscious – strangely enough.”
As for Keke, his father the 1982 F1 World Champion, Rosberg revealed, “He gets intensely involved and emotional – a bit on the pessimistic side which makes it difficult. For parents the most important thing is to guide your kids and then let go. I’m thankful because my parents did that very well. In racing it’s been good for me, he has taken a step back and let me make my mistakes and find my way.”
In the wake of his high profile clashes with Hamilton, Rosberg faced the boo bigade on the podium Silverstone, an issue he was keen to discuss.
“Let’s talk about the British fans, Silverstone and the difficulties I’ve had. It’s amazing because the British fans love motor racing more than anything. I saw that after the race when I went on stage. It was 100% support.”
“There was the individual outspoken dislike towards me. It hurts. The stupid thing is that even when there are 100 people supporting and only two disliking you, you hear those two. That’s human nature – which sucks.”
Final question to Rosberg was: what do you love about Formula One? “It’s competition. It’s the battle. And it’s the winning. The winning is awesome.”
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