Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s fierce rivalry is often what is remembered of their relationship, but there was a time when the former Mercedes duo were good friends. Having raced with each other since their karting days in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Hamilton and Rosberg knew each other quite well and even had fun off the track.
Cracking silly jokes and having banter was the norm between the two drivers. In fact, Hamilton took it to another level via his birthday wish for Rosberg when the German turned 30 in 2015. As the Briton is a few months older than Rosberg, he had turned 30 in January 2015 itself. So, when his Mercedes teammate’s birthday came on June 27th, Hamilton posted a bold ‘Black Don’t Crack’ joking caption to wish Rosberg.
“Sending a big Happy Birthday shout out to my teammate Old Man Nico! Now you’re as old as me, but no matter what I’m always gonna look younger cause BLACK DON’T CRACK!”, he wrote. For the uninitiated, the ‘Black Don’t Crack’ theory refers to how black individuals tend not to age as much, but it also has some racial connotations.
Back in the day, PR teams were not much of a thing, and Hamilton often used to be quite unhinged on social media. And given that he is himself a black athlete, such comments did not create any controversy. However, another interesting thing about this birthday wish was the developing rivalry between Hamilton and Rosberg at that time.
In their third season as teammates, the Mercedes duo had started having frequent clashes and battles on track while fighting for the championship. So, while this wish may have served as an olive branch to ease the tensions, things only got worse later on.
remember when lewis said this pic.twitter.com/fuGbYPU1v2
— аlina (@mercedarri) April 29, 2025
The 2016 season unraveled Hamilton and Rosberg‘s strong relationship completely as they became bitter rivals when they fought for the championship. Their collisions and tussles on track started getting out of hand for even the top bosses at Mercedes.
Eventually, Rosberg winning the 2016 championship and promptly retiring from F1 helped put an end to this intense rivalry at the Silver Arrows. While both drivers moved on with their respective lives on and off the track, they often stated that they were not friends anymore.
Even today, whenever Rosberg interacts with Hamilton in the F1 paddock, there seems to be some sense of bitterness in his words and vice versa from the Briton’s perspective. Still, as time has passed by, the former Mercedes teammates have learned to keep a cordial bond with each other.
In fact, as both live in Monaco, Hamilton regularly interacts with Rosberg and his family. The seven-time champion even sends Christmas gifts for the German’s daughters, Rosberg once revealed. “Every Christmas, both children have a huge pack of gifts from him in front of the door. So, that’s a nice approach.”
While the 2016 title protagonists may never be as good friends as they were back in their childhood, they have buried the hatchet on their past tensions on the F1 track.
