Nico Rosberg Explains How Changing His Helmet Color Helped Beating Lewis Hamilton

Nico Rosberg finally got the better of his rival Lewis Hamilton in 2o16 by beating him in the Championship. It took a lot for Rosberg to finally emerge victorious, but a crucial element, according to him, was changing his helmet color.

The 39-year-old detailed the specific reason behind his decision to change colors in a recent interview. Sporting a yellow helmet originally, he switched to black, reducing its overall weight by 0.17 lbs (80 g). The black color was the helmet’s carbon fiber, which previously had paint all over it. Paint increased the weight, which is why Rosberg decided to scrap the idea of having it colored.

It was also why a lot of modern F1 cars decided to go ahead with a lot of black on their F1 cars.

Nico Rosberg’s black helmet was a delight to the eyes
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Rosberg had to change another aspect of his lifestyle to beat Hamilton. An avid cyclist, Rosberg had to stop doing so, to lose 1.1 lbs (500 g) of muscle mass from his legs. In total, he lost 2.2 lbs (1kg).

The reduced weight, Rosberg revealed, gave him an advantage of two-hundredths of a second per lap, which he saw instantly whilst on the track. During the qualifying session in Japan in 2016, Rosberg got the better of Hamilton by precisely that margin and won the race the next day.

That Japanese GP, among the other races where he developed this advantage, helped Rosberg win his first and only World Championship.

2016 took a toll on Rosberg

Hamilton and Rosberg’s epic rivalry that resulted in their 2016 duel remains one of F1’s hottest rivalries. From being the best of friends in their childhood to becoming bitter rivals, 2016 saw both drivers give their all in the Championship battle.

33) NICO ROSBERG – THE DRIVER THAT TOOK THE MOST RACES TO BECOME CHAMPION

Achievieng an F1 title is no easy task and he is well aware of that. He had to wait until his 206th race to finally lift the championship trophy, a race that turned out to be his last in F1 as a whole. pic.twitter.com/zAiJRApcvY

— Formul.A.to.Z (@FormulAtoZ) February 5, 2024

For Rosberg, it was his last chance to be a world champion, given the retirement decision he had secretly made. Not only did he suffer physically, but also mentally, as revealed by Marc Priestley. Keeping his family away from him while he trained even put Rosberg’s married life on the line, adding extra pressure on him to secure the top position.

Once he achieved his dream, Rosberg knew it was time to prioritize everything else over F1. Thus, the German former driver retired from the sport after winning the Championship.