Former friends Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg shared one of F1’s most intense rivalries during their Title fight back in 2016.
Rosberg and Hamilton were very close growing up, but things changed between them after they teamed up at Mercedes. The Silver Arrows produced a car that was much stronger than any other on the grid.
Both drivers wanted to compete for the Title, and it led to tensions between the two. The culmination of their rivalry came with Rosberg’s World Title victory in 2016, after which he left Formula 1 altogether. However, the two haven’t really reconciled yet.
At the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix, Rosberg, who was working with Sky Sports was on the grid ahead of race start. Hamilton was on his way to his W12, when he passed Rosberg without giving him a sign of acknowledgement. Hamilton ducks in front of the camera, so as to not be seen and walks past.
“So we just got Lewis passing by here now,” Rosberg said. “Didn’t get much of a reaction there, but I guess that’s understandable.”
Nico Rosberg wants to be friends with Lewis Hamilton again
Hamilton has repeatedly stated that he has no intention of reconciling with Rosberg. The latter on the other hand, is open to mending their friendship.
During a podcast session with the legendary Alain Prost, Rosberg and the Frenchman discussed about rivalries in the sport. Prost admitted that he always liked and respected his long-time rival Ayrton Senna, and how the animosity seemed pointless after a while. Rosberg agreed, and in context to his own rivalry with Hamilton, said that someone has to own up to his mistakes.
Nico Rosberg laughs off Toto Wolff’s claim he was the “vicious one” in Lewis Hamilton rivalry https://t.co/qIMjXlbLGL #SkyF1 pic.twitter.com/hRD0iWc2fB
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 20, 2017
“No, when you’re older you can see things differently,” Prost said. “For me not older. I mean suddenly in one moment on the podium in 1993 and after at the press conference, I realized that something was absolutely completely different and I could not believe that.”
“Yeah, maybe one day. I would be open for that, definitely,” he said when asked about reigniting his friendship with Hamilton. “Maybe it requires one of us to do the first step of saying sorry.”
