Nico Rosberg explains that George Russell has to hold his own in a duel with Lewis Hamilton and, if in doubt, be uncomfortable for Mercedes
Nico Rosberg knows the feeling of having to stand up to Lewis Hamilton in a Formula 1 team. The pair drove for Mercedes for four years between 2013 and 2016, with Hamilton coming out on top in each of the first three seasons
In 2013, Hamilton finished fourth in the world championship and Rosberg sixth. The Brit then became world champion in 2014 and 2015, and it was only in 2016 that Rosberg managed to beat Hamilton for the first time. The German then retired from Formula 1 as the new world champion.
He was replaced by Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes in 2017, but the Finn barely made any headway against Hamilton in their five years together. He was replaced by George Russell in 2022, and the Briton finished his first Mercedes season in the world championship just ahead of Hamilton.
For the record world champion, it was the first internal defeat since the duel with Rosberg in 2016. In the 2023 season, Hamilton was ahead again, but for the first time there was a major crash between the two Mercedes drivers
Rosberg: Hamilton is never actually the culprit
In Qatar, Hamilton and Russell collided on the first corner, which Hamilton later blamed on himself. On the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Rosberg explained: “Qatar was good for George because Lewis actually admitted [that he was wrong].”
“That was a big win for George in that respect, even internally, which is very rare. Because in my time it was never 100 percent Lewis’ fault,” recalls Rosberg, who had collided with Hamilton several times during his own time at Mercedes.
The most famous accident between the two was in Barcelona in 2016, when they crashed on the first lap while leading. Rosberg explains: “It’s very, very rare that Lewis is 100 percent at fault, that never happens normally.”
“You have to watch that. It’s an interesting battle,” says the 2016 world champion about the duel between Hamilton and Russell. One big difference to his situation back then is that Mercedes has not been in contention for the world title in the past two years
Rosberg: Russell must “make it difficult for Mercedes “
However, should that change in 2024, Rosberg has some advice for Russell: “It’s a very difficult situation for George too. Unfortunately, you can’t just be the nice guy in this situation. You also have to keep up the pressure internally.”
“Unfortunately, you have to make it difficult for the team,” he says from his own experience and emphasizes: “It’s annoying, but otherwise the team will always take the easiest route.” In other words: Russell must not back down in situations like the one in Qatar.
That is “unpleasant”, Rosberg knows, but emphasizes that Russell has to stand up to it at all costs, and not just on the track. And should things go wrong at Mercedes, Toto Wolff is the right team boss to bring the situation under control.
“He has so much experience in dealing with team-mates that he knows what to do. The most important thing for him is to remain neutral, advice that Alain Prost gave him in my day,” explains Rosberg and emphasizes: “I’m sure he’ll handle it well. “
