Nico Rosberg was part of one of the fiercest rivalries in F1 history, with Lewis Hamilton. They were once best friends but grew apart during their Mercedes years. Often, because of Hamilton’s dominance, Rosberg suffered a lot emotionally and wanted to disconnect from the sport when the break arrived, only for his family to make painful comments about his situation.
As we approach the 2023 F1 season’s summer break, Rosberg spoke about its importance on the Sky F1 Podcast. He feels that it is a time that drivers and team members need to rejuvenate themselves and stay sharp for the second half of the season. For him, personally, it was very important, because being Hamilton’s teammate in the sport was definitely not easy.
Rosberg revealed how he used to come back home happy, to spend time with his family. He used to ask his family members to not speak about anything that was remotely associated with the word ‘Formula 1’, but admits that it was a difficult ask. The sport became a huge part of their personal lives too, and often, his family members would make comments that would upset him immensely, even if they were meant as advice.
Nico Rosberg on how his father and father-in-law roasted him
Rosberg got the better of Hamilton in the 2016 season. However, for the majority of their time together as teammates, it was Hamilton who was on top. Rosberg reveals one instance, where he got roasted by his father and father-in-law, for letting Hamilton outperform him.
“I would come home and my father or father-in-law would tell me, ‘Hey, I [you] should pick up boxing,” Rosberg said. “And the reason was, Lewis was walking all over me, the day before the race.”
An exasperated Rosberg then made a very interesting analogy to explain how he felt. “It’s like they were telling me how to grow a pair of b*lls. Oh my goodness.”
Rosberg’s comments on the summer break comes just a week before F1 in 2023 temporarily halts for three-weeks. All the drivers and teams will be using this time off the recharge, as we head into the business end of the campaign. In particular, the drivers, who have been having a tough time heading into this break will be looking forward to it the most.
F1 summer break and rejuvenation for drivers
The next round of the 2023 season sees the teams and drivers travel to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian GP. Following the race in Spa, the sport shuts down for three-weeks to give everyone associated with the sport a much needed break.
For drivers, this is extremely important, as some of them, who have been having a tough time, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on what was going wrong. Sergio Perez, for example, has been struggling immensely, especially during qualifying. The Guadalajara-born driver will be looking to make the best out of this short break.
This is because, when he returns, he will be under tremendous pressure to perform. Although Helmut Marko and Christian Horner insist that he is safe from sacking, Red Bull’s history of being unforgiving on underperforming drivers will definitely make Perez wary of his F1 future.
