Rosberg reveals how he defeated Hamilton – “Little details made the difference”

Nico Rosberg has revealed how he defeated Lewis Hamilton in 2016, saying he nailed the finer details a little bit better than his former teammate.

Hamilton and Rosberg were teammates at Mercedes for three seasons, and they contested one of the most heated rivalries in F1 history. Hamilton prevailed in 2014 and 2015, while Rosberg got the last laugh in 2016.

The German is the only driver to beat Hamilton and become world champion in the hybrid era. After winning the title, he announced his shock retirement from the sport, ensuring Hamilton would never get his revenge.

Rosberg revealed how he defeated Hamilton, and said that he pounced on the slightest of slacking from Hamilton, and executed every detail to perfection.

“To win a Formula One World Championship, first of all you need to look at your rival. In this case it was Lewis, he was the only real rival, and he’s now proven to be the best of all time, so the level is unbelievably high,” Rosberg said, as quoted by squaremile.com.

Nico Rosberg 2016 Formula One world champion
Rosberg (pictured) went through hell to beat Hamilton. Source: squaremile.com

“But, as is the case with any human, there’s also some weaknesses. First of all, it’s important to be at your absolute 110% for the whole season, because anything less (means) you’re just not going to have a chance against him.

“And then Lewis also has these periods where he loses a bit of motivation – he has these dips in form – and there it’s important to maximise those moments, to keep him down for a bit longer. If all these ingredients come together you stand a chance, and that’s what happened in 2016.”

Perspective and perfection

Rosberg also talked about the mental aspect of the game, and how he was relentless in his pursuit for a clear and focused mind.  

“I worked extremely intensely with a sports psychologist, I spent two hours every two days on psychology and even learning philosophy with this teacher,” Rosberg said.

“It was all these little details that ultimately made the difference. But that’s what you need to win. That’s the sacrifice.”

The Hamilton-Rosberg rivalry saw both drivers push each other beyond the limit. For three seasons, we saw the absolute peaks of what both drivers could do under pressure.

Read more: Rosberg highlights “diligence” as difference between Schumacher and Hamilton

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