Credits: IMAGO / agefotostock

Lewis Hamilton’s long-standing rivalry with Nico Rosberg has been a topic of interest among F1 fans for ages, but it is the latter who brings it up more frequently than the former. Rosberg, once Hamilton’s best friend, did not even think twice before calling him out in a documentary about F1 legend Juan Manuel Fangio.

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The documentary titled ‘A Life of Speed‘ came out on Netflix in 2020, and gave fans an insight into the life of the legendary Argentine F1 driver, who in the sport’s absolute early days, won five world titles. Rosberg was one of the guests, invited to speak, and he narrated an incident about Fangio’s life.

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Rosberg revealed how, in 1955, Fangio’s car broke down in a race, which is why he came into the pits. His teammate at the time, Peter Collins had a shot at winning too, but decided to get out of the car and give it to Fangio so that he could compete for the win. It was an immaculate display of sportsmanship, that today, would have melted the hearts of the F1 community (if the FIA allowed the same). Rosberg, however, turned it into a moment concerning him and Hamilton.

The German former driver sarcastically said, “I don’t know. Do you think Lewis Hamilton would have done that for me?” 

Rosberg has brought Hamilton up on many occasions and jokes about the rivalry they once shared, which ended with him winning the 2016 title. In terms of talent, however, the former Mercedes driver never doubted his once best friend.

Nico Rosberg hailed Lewis Hamilton for realizing personal dream

In 2024, Lewis Hamilton announced that he would leave Mercedes after 11 years, and join Ferrari – the most successful driver of all time joining the sport’s most successful team ever. This move has everything on paper, to provide a fairytale ending to Hamilton’s career, especially because glory has eluded both him and the Scuderia for far too long.

Rosberg, who knew Hamilton very well, realized that it was a personal dream of his to join the fabled Italian outfit. In an interview with Suddeutsche Zeitung, Rosberg said, “There are two legendary teams that everyone wants to drive for – Ferrari and Mercedes. I can understand that he is fulfilling a personal dream with this.”

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The move surprised Rosberg, as it did the majority of the F1 community. But Hamilton was and remains visibly unhappy with Mercedes’ performance. Now at the twilight of his career, the seven-time world champion wants to drive for a team that can help him win his eighth title. Ferrari, a team making big strides, could turn out to be the one helping him do that.