F1 drivers have to overcome adversity aimed towards them, but Nico Rosberg talks about one moment which still haunts him to this date.
Nico Rosberg cemented his legacy as one of F1’s best when he won the World Championship in 2016. However, his victory was preceded by an intense and long rivalry with former best friend Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton and Rosberg were very close once upon a time but it all changed when they went up against each other at Mercedes in F1. The two were teammates, but lost their friendship while competing for the sport’s biggest prize. More often than not it was Hamilton who came out on top in their on track battles.
Rosberg finally had his moment when he clinched the Title at the season finale in 2016. However, it came at a cost as Rosberg reveals how he had to go through one of the most traumatic moments of his career in the process.
During a podcast with four-time World Champion Alain Prost, the German highlights an incident during the 2016 Italian GP in Monza.
How a little girl’s booing traumatized Nico Rosberg for a long time
The incident occurred before Sunday’s race in Monza. Rosberg recalled that he was in the pit-lane signing autographs for fans along with Hamilton when he heard some booing. Upon seeing that a small four-year old girl was booing him ferociously, the then Mercedes driver was highly taken aback.
“I was in Monza before the race,” Rosberg says. “We were fighting for the Championship along with Lewis and I was in the pitlane, we were doing signing session just before the race on a Sunday morning.”
“I hear quite a few people, ‘Boo! Boo! Boo! Many people were cheering but quite a few people were also booing me. And then I turn and I took to where this booing is coming from and you cannot believe what I see,” he says to Prost.
Nico Rosberg on what it’s like being Lewis Hamilton’s teammate 🐐 pic.twitter.com/J90Cv32BTL
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) September 6, 2021
“I see a beautiful four-year old blonde girl on the dad’s arm, with hatred in her face towards me. I’m next to her, because I was signing for the person next to her. I get goosebumps still now. Her dad had told her that I’m evil. Because they were of course Hamilton fans. She was just four years old and had hatred towards me.”
Prost understood the situation and spoke about how he faced similar problems during his rivalry with Ayrton Senna. They both agree that you don’t need to hate a rival just to support your favorite team/driver.
