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Mercedes Chastised Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg With $360K Punishment To Get Along

Somin Bhattacharjee
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Mercedes Chastised Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg With $360K Punishment To Get Along

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s crash at the 2016 Spanish GP remains one of Mercedes’ darkest moments in F1 history. To deal with it, the Brackley-based outfit made the two drivers pay for damages and Rosberg reveals he had to pay $360K as punishment.

2016 featured one of the most intense intra-team championship battles of all time between Rosberg and Hamilton. Once best friends, they became bitter rivals and were desperate to topple one another to stand on the top step come the end of the season.

Rosberg, who missed out on the championship to Hamilton in 2014 and 2015, in particular, was itching to get the better of the Briton. Going neck to neck in the Spanish GP, Rosberg and Hamilton crashed, which resulted in a DNF for both.

The team was furious, as were the higher-ups back at Mercedes who labeled this ordeal as an embarrassment. Rosberg and Hamilton’s rivalry became so fierce that it was affecting Mercedes as a whole. As revealed by Rosberg, the Silver Arrows came up with a unique solution to prevent something similar in the future.

They made the German driver and Hamilton pay for the damages sustained during the 2016 Spanish GP. And for Rosberg, it amounted to $360,000, as he revealed in the interview. The plan, however, worked as the two were careful and prevented similar incidents from thereon.

Nico Rosberg’s win over Lewis Hamilton brought an end to their rivalry

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were best friends since their childhood and even after making it to F1, their bond was unbroken. However, things unraveled after Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2014. Driving for a championship-contending team, neither wanted to give the other an inch of space.

Their friendship turned into a rivalry that turned into animosity eventually. In 2014 and 2015, Hamilton defeated Rosberg without too much trouble, but the latter was determined to throw everything at his former best friend in 2016.

Rosberg pushed the Stevenage-born driver to the limit and stood tall come the end of the campaign. The whole affair and the rivalry took such a big toll on Rosberg that he decided to retire from F1 after the 2016 season.

Post Edited By:Vidit Dhawan

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Basketball Editor Somin Bhattacharjee first discovered the game during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Not long after, he turned to the NBA and found himself drawn to the Golden State Warriors — right at the start of Stephen Curry’s rise. Over time, the admiration turned into full-blown support for the team, one that continues even as the Curry era approaches its twilight. A true hoophead, Somin also follows EuroLeague basketball closely and enjoys exploring the game beyond the NBA. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. Since 2021, he has penned over 3,000 articles for TheSportsRush, covering everything from breaking news to sharp opinion pieces and detailed exclusives. He thrives on writing about in-game moments and the reactions that make basketball a uniquely emotional sport. Beyond basketball, Somin plays different sports including soccer and remains a passionate fan of Spanish football giants Real Madrid

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