2004 Hamilton-Rosberg is, like the kids say, my "roman empire". So here goes nothing:
Contrary to popular belief¹, Lewis and Nico didn't go entirely on their separate ways after karting. Granted, they wouldn't be teammates again in their feeder years, but they would still share the ocasional race (e.g. Macau 2003 - see: x and x) and would officially reunite to share the 2004 grid of the single-seater series 'F3 Eurosport' (full season available on youtube with Russian commentary)
¹ Melbourne 2008: "It's great to see Nico up here with me for the first time since our karting days," said Hamilton enthusiastically after showering his old rival with champagne. But Hamilton's memory was clearly playing tricks. "I didn't like to say it at the time," said Rosberg, "but he had forgotten the 2004 formula three Bahrain international in which Lewis and I finished first and second. I then went on to compete in GP2 the following season while he did another year in formula three before moving up into GP2 in 2006." [keep this quote in mind and consider coming back to it after you finish reading the post]
The F3 Eurosport series is responsible for amazing pics like this one of them chilling track-side at Brno next to Nico's car, together with Robert Kubica and Bruno Spengler
[the story behind the pic recounted by Polish journalist Cezary Gutowski]
Or these ones taken at their (only) shared podium that season: Nurburgring Race 1
[via kucherovv]
To tell the truth they wouldn't exactly be as dominant here as they were in their karting days. Nico and Lewis ended up 4th and 5th in the standings with 70 and 68 points respectively, plenty of points short of champion Jamie Green's 139.
But hey, they had fun!... Sort of.
(We'll get into the Lewis specifics at a later time. The gist of it is this: at the end of '04 he had been dropped from the McLaren program and came into the last two unofficial rounds as a sponsorless free agent essentially obligated to deliver a performance that would save his career. yeah.)
So we arrive to the races that we actually care about: Macau and Bahrain double-header.
(neither of them are part of the official F3 calendar but they are very important for reasons that you all shall understand in time)
Macau Grand Prix - November 21st, 2004
[painting by João Saldanha]
I think this 20th anniversary post from Inside Macau Grand Prix does a great job at summarizing the whole thing and has some wild quotes. Go check it out. Anyway.
After miraculously managing to get a last minute sponsor, Lewis entered the GP. He showed both strength and pace all weekend, and came just short of pole, which his teammate (for this race only) Kubica beat him to. Not to worry though, because Lewis won the qualifying race! with Nico managing a second place from fourth. This now meant that they would start 1-2 for the main race.
And that is why we have these press conference pics :)
[via argentinagp]
Now fair warning, prepare for everything to go to absolute shit.
It's Hamilton and Rosberg we're talking about after all.
So in the main race Nico gets the lead off the line, demoting Lewis to P2. They immediately start pulling away from the rest of the pack, engrossed in their own fight. And that isn't a problem on its own. Except for the fact that, as usual, they were focusing maybe just a bit too much on each other. Or so goes the race report, because:
What happened next was enough to [...] make seasoned F3 watchers shake their heads in disbelief. Pushing hard to try and open a gap between himself and Hamilton, Rosberg arrived at Lisboa way too fast with his brakes locked, sideways, and promptly rammed the Dallara nose first into the barriers. As if that wasn't incredible enough, Hamilton - who was also pushing way too hard - couldn't avoid him and was stuck between the stricken Finn and the barriers.
[via lewisinho]
Nico retired immediately, while Lewis managed to rejoin and finish a measly 14th. Unfortunately, this result wouldn't do much to help convince McLaren of re-signing him. Lewis recalls: "It was one of the most disappointing races of my life. I thought the whole world had folded in on me and that was it – the end."
It wasn't exactly the end, but near enough. Now there was only one opportunity left.
Bahrain Superprix - December 10th, 2004
In Bahrain Nico was doing fine, qualifying a pretty solid 6th and ending his quali race in 3rd position. Lewis... was a whole different story. He was struggling. He qualified a whopping 22nd, but still managed to comb through some of the field in the qualifying race, earning himself the 11th slot.
Lewis had to prove his worth in the main race.
And he delivered.
At the end of the first lap he was already 4th, and quickly enough put himself in 2nd place behind Green. Then, halfway through the race, Nico overtook him. As the tyres started wearing down, Lewis seemed bound to stay behind Nico. But then a blessing was bestowed upon him: a late safety car. At the restart he took the lead from 3rd. Now with one-and-a-half laps to go, he just needed to stay calm and pay no mind to the fact that Nico was catching him.
"I am just overwhelmed," said Hamilton. "I was just trying to preserve what I had in third. I couldn't even stay with Nico. I was pretty happy to see the safety car bunching the field. I anticipated it just right. Nico and I have been friends and team-mates for a long time and it is fantastic to come away first and second." [formula-3.net]
And so at last, ladies and gentlemen, we come to our conclusion. Bahrain 2004: Lewis and Nico in parc fermé after their 1-2.
[via f1png]
This would be their last podium together until Melbourne 2008.
I got around the paywall! I don't speak Finnish, so translated via a combination of Google Translate and DeepL (so take exact phrasings with a big grain of salt). I put the whole thing under the cut because it's quite a long article, but some of the most interesting tidbits:
Nico and Keke live in apartments in the same building in Monaco.
Keke is a doting grandfather to Nico's daughters.
Keke says that his own championship felt like checking a milestone off a to-do list. Nico's championship was far more important to him.
He was shocked by Nico's retirement (which he heard about via Nico's text to Sina) since Nico had just signed a new contract. He thinks Nico didn't want to discuss it with him beforehand because it was a difficult enough decision without the weight of Keke's opinion.
"Keke is particularly proud of the way Nico fought for his championship. If you had to go inside the head of his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who drove from one championship to another in those years, Nico went."
Nico learned from Michael Schumacher how to operate in the grey area. (The article mentions Michael not letting Nico use the bathroom, lmao.)
Keke's identity is still Finnish despite living in Monaco, but that's faded a bit since his own parents died.
Keke comparing and contrasting his and Nico's personalities: "I'm the tough one. Nico is not tough. Nico is methodical, programmed. Dad is spontaneous, but tough...Nico is just as crazy about competition as I am. Whether it's tennis or table tennis or any other sport."
When COVID broke out, Keke had to isolate for 70 days in Finland while Sina was isolating in Ibiza.
Keke got COVID and has been experiencing aftereffects/Long COVID.
Keke says it would have been nice to have a daughter: "I wouldn't mind having a girl alongside Nico. Nico has always missed that a little bit. The other thing is, of course, that when it's time to leave his parents, he's quite a lonely child."
The Finnish press saw Keke as very arrogant, but his image abroad was more humble. He thinks he should have cultivated an edgier international image: "But I did it on the track. The others were really afraid that I would run them over if they didn't get out of the way."
"My family is ultimately the most important championship in my life."
Bonjour! The receptionist at a luxury apartment building in Monaco greets you politely and asks who you are here to see.
– Mr. Rosberg.
– Nico? he asks, thinking of the younger generation of champions who live in the same building.
– No, Keke.
– Oh, Keke! the woman bursts out smiling.
– Just a moment.
After a five-minute wait , Keke Rosberg marches into the lobby, as stylish as ever. The first Finnish Formula 1 world champion has gone grey with dignity, but he is immediately recognizable. Keke has lived in this house since 1985, although this is his third apartment in the building.
We move to the backyard of the house, which has a restaurant, swimming pool and stylish seating areas. The bushy facial hair that frames the recognizable smile is still there, albeit now with silvery highlights. The eyes shine with the familiar determination and twinkle – and the attitude that never knew how to take corners safely and that drove the blue and white history of motorsport.
Sitting in front is a 76-year-old man who has seen life for three generations and has carried the weight of the entire Finnish F1 legacy on his shoulders.
A man who has enjoyed a long period of silence - but who is now speaking out after a 15-year hiatus from the public eye.
Rosberg, who has a second home in the South of France, has had a long and even unlikely journey to the present. It's a long way from the cheerful and icy streets of the 1950s to the skyscraper-lined landscapes and frequent sunshine of Monaco. The story begins in Iisalmi, although Keke was born in Sweden, while his father was studying veterinary medicine.
Keke's story from Iisalmi to the world is not unique. In addition to him, another motorsports legend, Teuvo "Tepi" Länsivuori, also emerged from the same small town, who rose to international fame in track motorcycling with three World Championship silver medals. It is ultimately astonishing that two great Finnish motorsports legends grew up from the same backyard.
– I still have a connection with Teppi, Keke says.
– Tepi was a little older than me. For example, I once participated in the Airisto track race as a pre-season tester, where he raced against Jarno Saarinen.
Keke's father, Lars Rosberg, who also drove in the Jyväskylä Grand Prix , was the first to introduce his son to motorsports. Motorsports came to his childhood home from many directions – his mother Lea also excelled behind the wheel.
– For example, my mother won the women's class at the Jyväskylä Suurajo, Keke points out.
The relationship with Lasse's father was both demanding and nurturing. When young Keke borrowed money from his father to start his formula racing career, his father was very tight-lipped until the debt was paid off.
When Keke called home, his father answered, but always handed the phone to his mother, saying: “Mom, your son is calling.”
It was a way of parenting.
– My father asked: how do you imagine that you can go into motor racing when his money as a veterinarian wasn't enough for it and he had to quit because of it.
Keke has described his father as the greatest support in his life. When asked how and why, he thinks for a moment — and then starts talking about noticing that he is like his father in many different character traits and gestures.
– I'm just the same Finn.
The same paternal legacy has carried forward in its own way. Keke's son Nico Rosberg won the world championship in 2016.
And the chain continues: Nico's daughters Alaïa and Naila are now the apple of Grandpa Keke's eye.
– It's nice to be a grandfather. I couldn't imagine that at this point in my life I would get such a lottery win, Keke reflects.
Keke's wife Sina is also a proud grandmother.
– We weren't told when we were younger that it was this fun, Keke grumbles.
The proof is seen in the warm encounter. A little later, Nico's wife Vivian arrives at the restaurant on Monaco's promenade with her second daughter - they are on their way to a birthday party with a gift package. A moment later, Sina and another of the granddaughters also arrive.
The encounter is full of affection and it is clear from everything that the grandfather is anything but distant, even though Keke jokes that he is reserved as a grandfather.
But when the grandchildren, one by one, happily greet and hug their grandfather, whom they affectionately call "Opa", it quickly becomes clear that the story is not entirely true.
Keke's journey to the top of the formula world was full of ups and downs. His first race car was bought at the instigation of his friend, Yrjö "Ykä" Palotie .
– I said I don't have the money for that. Well, what happened was that we went to look at a car and bought it. That's how it started, Keke recalls.
Keke realized early on that being international was the only way forward. He followed the career of Swedish Ronnie Peterson closely.
– You had to go out into the world if you wanted to achieve the things you wanted to achieve.
The road to the top required moving up from class to class, and even in Formula One he spent a long time driving cars that you couldn't dream of winning while driving. Then Keke got his chance at Williams and the rest is history.
In 1982, the dream came true: the first Finnish Formula One world champion was crowned. But when Keke talks about it, it feels like it was just another ordinary race.
– It was one thing on the to-do list and they were crossed off, Keke says, drawing a box in the air with his finger.
– Of course, many things had to fall into place.
As you get older, the list becomes different.
– I used to have a list of things that still need to be done. I still have one now, but it's a list of things that I can no longer do, Keke grins.
Keke felt significantly greater about his own son's world championship in 2016.
– Nico's championship was by far the most important. For me, that championship was just another milestone.
– For Nico, it wasn't like that. It was an important event. It was already a pretty big event in terms of family history. My championship in the family was mostly of interest to my father and mother, Keke sculpts.
Nico's decision to suddenly retire at the peak of his career after winning the championship came as a shock to his father as well. There was no prior knowledge or opportunity to prepare.
– He didn't say anything. Nico texted his mom and said tell his dad later. It felt like a big fist to the diaphragm. It took his breath away, knowing he'd just signed a big contract.
– Nico knew that if he started discussing it with me, then of course his father's opinion might be quite weighty, which he didn't want to listen to. That decision was difficult enough anyway.
Keke sees his role as a door opener for his son.
– Networking is important. I spoke to Ron Dennis, the team principal, about taking Nico to McLaren. Luckily, as a father, I had the time to take him to karting races, because you couldn't let a little kid go there alone.
Keke considers it a great success that he was able to let his son go at the right time.
– Even when you take your dog outside, the leash stretches and stretches – until it doesn't stretch anymore. Then it's better to let go.
Did Keke see that the boy could already manage on his own?
– No, I just saw that there was no choice. If I had said jump, it was important to me that he jump. Then he no longer jumped on command, but asked why.
Keke is particularly proud of the way Nico fought for his championship. If you had to go inside the head of his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who drove from one championship to another in those years, Nico went.
– Nico was up for it and that's what it took," says Keke.
Nico had already been trained to operate in the grey area by his experiences with legendary teammate Michael Schumacher. Schumacher could prevent his younger teammate from going to the bathroom before a race. It was a school that also taught Nico.
– He was ready to neglect even his family. He already had his own organization around him.
When Keke ended his own racing career, he found himself in a new role. His experience and contacts were key to the rise of Mika Häkkinen and Jyrki “JJ” Järvilehto to the F1 series. His significance to Finnish formula history is therefore much more significant than his own years as a driver.
– Working with Mika and JJ was really rewarding. I didn't see it as a business at all.
What kind of manager was Keke really?
– I was probably a pretty domineering father figure.
Häkkinen's first championship was a tough one for the manager, too. Especially since Häkkinen became champion after a serious accident in Australia in 1995.
But according to Keke, even these projects would have been impossible without a support network.
– If I were to say that there were five important people at that time, it was Matti Heinonen, it was Veli-Antti Savolainen, Kari Sohlberg and “Ykä” Palotie – and his brother “Tane” Palotie worked as the family lawyer for decades. They were in my background. Nothing can be done alone, Keke says.
The same managerial instinct resurfaced during Nico's career, but the situation became problematic. Keke explains why he decided to stop giving interviews 15 years ago.
– When a former world champion like this stands in the pit lane with his hands in his pockets somewhere as a wall decoration, journalists immediately sense that he’s got time on his hands. They ask him how the boy is doing, right? And when you open your mouth about what the boy is doing or not doing, you’re on thin ice in no time.
The situation was made worse by the rise of social media. Interaction with journalists changed.
– Things started to revolve around hobbies and family matters. Suddenly I was in the middle of the Wild West. There were revolvers everywhere and I was just waiting to see who would shoot first.
Life in Monaco has given Keke a new identity, but his Finnishness has not disappeared. Even though his visits to Finland have become less and less frequent – and Keke feels that he doesn't really know any language perfectly. He sometimes feels rootless.
– My only identity is still that I am Finnish. Although that has also begun to fade since my parents died, Keke says.
– When I visit Finland, I meet friends and wake up the next day in the hotel and say to myself, what am I going to do now? Now I've seen the friends and it was really fun, but the show is over, so what now?
Keke has recently sold his house in Levi, but remembers his time in Finland fondly. On many snowmobile trips, he has driven with the same fervor as he once did on the Monaco street track near this restaurant. The speed has been such that the sleds have been thrown over the cliffs and the pine trunks have served as speedometers.
– But then as soon as I sold the cottage, Nico wanted to go sledding with his dad right away after a long time. You also wanted to go to the Finnish fell landscapes again. I wondered why now, when the house was sold, Keke laughs, spreading his arms.
However, Keke has stopped snowmobiling, because at the age of 76, he fears that his "smarts" are already slower - and that one day the snowmobile would go faster than the observation speed.
– I can't even drive quietly, he laughs.
He also stopped driving in the Tunturi Rally during the good weather. Keke half-jokingly states that the reason was that even though his friends tried to entice him to join, the answer was unequivocal.
What would happen if his long-time co-driver Kaj Häkkinen "can't even read rally notes anymore"?
The “stone village,” as Keke playfully calls Monaco, offers other benefits besides tax exemption. One of them is security.
– I belong to the category that has always really enjoyed being in Monaco. This is my life. Nico and the rest of the family experience it the same way.
– Many people ask what I do here and why I want to live here. Then people forget that there are four directions around. In one direction there is the sea, in one direction there are beautiful ski slopes, in one direction Provence, in one direction Italy. So there is plenty to do. You have to understand that Monaco is really close to everything.
When asked what the best thing about Monaco is, Keke's answer is that it is all about family.
– For example, on May Day it was really nice. It was a sunny day and Nico said it was so great when all the kids were out of school and we were together in this pool. It was a good life.
At first glance, Keke and Nico seem similar – both eager competitors and tough businessmen. But when you ask who is the tougher Rosberg, he sees a clear difference in character.
– I'm the tough one. Nico is not tough. Nico is methodical, programmed. Dad is spontaneous, but tough, Keke analyzes.
Although the difference is clear, there are also similarities.
– Nico is just as crazy about competition as I am. Whether it's tennis or table tennis or any other sport.
However, there is one important skill where Nico stands out.
– Nico has one incredibly strong gift: he is able to focus on what matters most.
When asked if Keke is aware of his significance as a pioneer in Finnish formula history, he thinks for a moment. There is an undeniable handprint, at least. Keke paved the way not only for himself but also for Häkkinen, Järvilehto – and his own son.
– More and more people are saying these days that without me it would never have happened. I'm gradually starting to agree, Keke laughs.
When Keke Rosberg became Sportsman of the Year in 1982, many questioned the choice. There was even talk of whether motor racing was even a sport.
– Guess who was one of the few who congratulated me personally with a letter? Juha Mieto !
– It made me feel good. It was so unexpected.
Keke is sad that he never got around to having beers with Mieto, who is known as one of the icons of Finnish traditional sports. It was significant that the skiing idol got in touch and recognized Keke. Maybe there would still be a time and place for those beers somewhere.
The corona period changed the rhythm of life for many. This also happened to Keke Rosberg.
– Corona was a tough thing. It went so stupidly that I got stuck in Levi and was in isolation for 70 days, luckily with one friend, Keke says.
At the same time, his wife Sina was stuck in Ibiza – also for 70 days. The isolation was stricter than in Lapland.
– The gifts of happiness didn't go evenly. Sina wasn't allowed to go out of the yard gate once during those 70 days, Keke recalls.
Sina's saving grace was that her sister was in Ibiza at the same time.
– A friend did the shopping for them and handed them over the gate, Keke says about the arrangements during the isolation period.
In Levi, Keke was lucky enough to be able to go outdoors.
– We had the whole of Lapland at our disposal.
But household chores brought challenges for those accustomed to a long life of traveling.
– Neither of us knew how to cook, so we learned.
Although Keke and his friends survived the isolation, the aftereffects of the coronavirus left their mark.
– The post-coronavirus period was a bit confusing as to whether this was caused by isolation or whether there was some kind of post-coronavirus disease when there was a lack of energy.
The voice becomes serious.
– Understanding of this long covid is still at zero level. There are a huge number of people who suffer badly from it.
The 76-year-old world champion, who himself faced health challenges in the midst of the pandemic, takes the adversities calmly.
– I've always been a bit of a tomorrow-is-a-new-day kind of person.
Although Keke never broke a bone as a Formula One driver, he hasn't been without bumps in his life either. The coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll on Keke's health, and recently he has had eye problems, which he has been treating with an eye specialist in Barcelona.
Age and health concerns have made him think about what is most important in life. He speaks with such pride about his son and grandchildren.
The rain clouds over Monaco are starting to recede and the sun is starting to come out. There is a faint humming sound, if anything, coming from the streets. The Formula E electric cars are racing along the same streets where Keke once throttled the gas while their powerful combustion engines roared.
When asked what keeps Keke Rosberg busy these days, he says he works from his home office.
– My friends ask that too, he laughs.
– It's mostly about minding your own business.
What does that actually mean?
– As my wife says, even a small fortune is a burden. It's mostly about running your own merry-go-round, which of course involves Nico's family.
Keke describes how different the leadership style is between his and Nico.
– Nico is the kind of guy that when you ask him where he's going, he says I don't know. He thinks I'm a micromanager again. Maybe it's a generational difference.
However, everything paints a picture of a man for whom family has a special meaning, and who has seen the whole world during his career.
However, he admits to regretting one thing - not having more children.
– I wouldn't mind having a girl alongside Nico. Nico has always missed that a little bit. The other thing is, of course, that when it's time to leave his parents, he's quite a lonely child.
The phone screen flashes. Nico has sent a message from Miami. Keke glances at the phone quickly and smiles. The boy's career continues, now on different tracks. Both have been racing drivers – but also tough businessmen.
Which does Keke feel he has been more?
– Perhaps one cannot exist without the other. Both were rewarding, although they also involved setbacks.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Keke Rosberg is his ultimate humility. In Finland, he is known for his outspokenness, even his arrogant image, but he himself sees it differently. The image he created, however, did not hurt.
– As a Finn, I read Finnish newspapers, but that didn't matter when I was out in the world at that time. My life and future were elsewhere. They were little gravel sounds from somewhere far away.
Much of the picture was also created by Finnish sports journalists, whom Keke did not always have time for. Perhaps the behaviour of Finnish sports journalists in the F1 pits sometimes left something to be desired.
However, Keke doesn't want to talk about that. Instead, he doesn't feel he's ever flown with a particularly high profile compared to many other F1 drivers.
– Even today, I often wonder if I was a little too humble. In Finland, there is a false image of me, that I am so proud and arrogant. But internationally, I always felt that compared to others, I was actually quite modest. The brand should have been made even more edgy.
– But I did it on the track. The others were really afraid that I would run them over if they didn't get out of the way.
When asked what is most important in life, Keke gets philosophical. A whole day with him has already given him his own answer: family.
– Achievements are not important in the long run. The most important thing is that you can say that you are a good and balanced person.
– My family is ultimately the most important championship in my life.
Is there anything you regret?
– In my opinion, I haven't done anything terribly wrong or wronged anyone.
Maybe this is Keke Rosberg in a nutshell. Not looking too much into the past, but always looking towards tomorrow.
Even at the age of 76, with Monaco in the background, and partly living on the terms of his grandchildren, he will remain in history as the man who changed the history of Finnish motorsport. The door that this man opened has defined the fate of Finnish motorsport for decades.
The advice for promising young drivers is clear: Finns are needed in the F1 series again.
– The most important thing is to know where you need to go. If you are good enough, and your shoulders are narrow enough to fit through the door, then that path is already there.
The world champion after his retirement. The German who left F1 speaks for the first time:
I'm finally free. Pilots live like hamsters.
MARCO MENSURATI – The Republic
MONTE CARLO - HE GRINDS some Sichuan pepper on the smoked salmon that the waitress at the lounge bar at the Meridien Beach Plaza has just left on the low glass table. Then he stretches. "The fact is that I'm free, finally," he says. And with a pinch he lifts his blue cashmere sweater from his chest. The gesture - anyone who has ever frequented a paddock will have immediately understood - alludes to the "plain clothes" clothing, that is, the absence of team suits. "Free. If I'm here talking to Repubblica it's because I chose to. No one from Mercedes said to me this morning: "Go and talk to that journalist." No. Nico wants to talk, Nico talks.
Let's start with the choice to stop. Three months have passed, are you still convinced you did the right thing?
Even more than before. The sacrifice you have to make to win a world championship is monstrous, in physical, personal and relational terms. For goodness sake, it's part of the game. A beautiful game, which I chose myself and which I wanted to play first.
But now that I've won - or, better, now that I've gotten where I wanted to - I can say: thank you all, that's enough. It was a golden opportunity to close my F1 book here, there was also a happy ending. Now I enjoy all the other beautiful things that are out there. Life can't just be going around in circles from morning to night, all year round, in a car. I'm a man, not a hamster!
The comparison between drivers and hamsters is a bit strong.
Let's say: beautiful hamsters, rich and living a fantastic life.
But still hamsters.
Yes, no offense. Formula 1 has been my life up until now. And I would like to continue to have a role in this sport. But I repeat: there is a whole life to live out there; and if you are a driver you are forced to always and only focus on your own activity, in the car and outside.
When you began your career as a driver, your father set the goals: "Win a race, win in Monte Carlo, win a world championship". The fact that you stopped exactly one second after reaching the goals indicated by your father, saying, "now I am free", provides a particular key to understanding your sporting and human story.
Having a dad like mine was difficult, especially at the beginning of my career. Everyone looked at me, asked me about the son of an driver, do you know how many times I heard that? He helped me out of charity, but he was cumbersome: he knew everything about the world I was entering, what I had to do, what the others had to do, what was best and what was worst. It worked well. But then when F1 arrived I realized that something had changed: I needed to make mistakes, to do it my way. So one evening we talked.
Did you argue?
We were clear. I really believe in the art of telling things as they are. I think that if we all did it, our lives would be simpler. On one side there was a parent who wanted to make things easier for his son, on the other there was a man who was looking for his own path. How do we move forward in F1?, we said to each other. In the end he stepped aside, and I thank him for the lightness with which he did it. He is an emotional guy (Rosberg is multilingual, his Italian is almost perfect, in this case he meant emotional, but the slip was too significant not to report it - ed.) and he was able to manage the situation in the best possible way and today I can only thank him for having let me do it, I would like him to know that it is only thanks to this that I am now here speaking as a world champion. And I would also like him to know that now I know how much it cost him.
Now you are a father too. What role did your daughter play in the decision to stop?
More than my daughter, my family. It's the most important thing I have. And I had to ask them for a huge, unfair effort too. Now I want to focus on them as much as I can and be a better father and husband. Which is something I've already started to do, discovering that fatherhood isn't all that simple. There's very little talk about it, people always say "children are the most beautiful thing in the world" and no one says how complicated it is, especially for a father, to relate to a one-and-a-half-year-old girl. It's beautiful but also tiring and, let's face it, boring at times. You're there with another person with whom you struggle to communicate and inevitably you get bored. Then when you're not there you miss them, and above all you feel guilty because when you were there you were bored. It's part of the relationship, of growth, of the normality that a pilot can hardly aspire to.
Listening to you speak, it seems like you can glimpse behind so much lucidity, a precise path, psychological work... Did you get help from anyone?
Yes. One of the keys to my success was the work I did with the mental coach. I had been working on that aspect for a long time, but this year I took new paths, it was more intense.
Isn't it just a fad?
Is philosophy a fad? There have been geniuses in the past, Epicurus, Seneca, take your pick, who two thousand years ago already experienced the same problems, the same difficulties as us. Since they were geniuses, they also analyzed and codified them, giving us extraordinary tools to read what happens to us. In life and in sports.
Are you saying that you won the F1 world championship by reading Epicurus?
I gave an example. Ten years ago I was jealous of my wife, I felt bad when she looked at someone else. Today I understood that the problem is not her looking at someone else, but me needing to have all her attention, and I have re-modulated my reactions accordingly. And we are all more serene. The point is that when you understand the reasons for your emotions, you adapt your reaction. And you reduce mistakes. It's called self-awareness. You have to work hard on it.
In addition to philosophy, how did you work on it?
Meditation. It was the extra weapon this year. An art that you can practice anywhere, walking, running, in bed as soon as you wake up. Let's be clear, it's work, not magic, but if you practice it consistently and seriously, little by little it helps you improve . It helped me: I'm sure that ten years ago, in a situation like the one I found myself in in the last ten laps of Abu Dhabi, the decisive race, with Lewis slowing down in front and me crushed between the two Red Bulls and Vettel... I'm sure I would have crashed. Instead, I was ready. I'm not saying I was calm, in fact I remember that during the overtaking maneuver on Verstappen I saw everything red and I was very tense. But I was there. And I brought it home... Everyone should do it, teach it in school: we live on the edge, always connected, incapable of getting bored or being alone. We accumulate stories and we are less and less lucid . I, even today, the first thing I do every morning is twenty minutes of meditation. Then it was also very important talk. With the coach we talked about everything, including my father and Lewis.
Here, Hamilton. A complicated coexistence, yours. The journalistic stereotyping wanted the Englishman in the role of the talented and invincible champion, you in that of the zealous "underdog." Then you beat him but those stereotypes partly resisted. Have you ever wondered about your talent? Is he more or less than Lewis?
I have always believed in myself; but it is obvious that he has a lot.
You did not answer.
Because it makes no sense to answer this question. Talent is an elusive concept, which is also tied to that of self-esteem . What is obvious and what I can say calmly is that I do not beat Lewis with talent but with everything that there is in sport beyond talent; if I put myself on the level of "talent against talent" maybe I could do the same as him, but beat him -- no. It took more than that to beat him. I had to work outside the car. Optimize everything, make sure I brought 100 percent of what I had to the track, every time we raced. Or at least more often than he did.
You were very good friends as kids in the karting days.
Best friends. A cinematic story. I still remember that night in Greece. We were on vacation together. After dinner, looking at the sea, he said to me: "Can you imagine how wonderful it would be if one day we found ourselves, you and I, at McLaren (the strongest team at the time, ed.) fighting for the title?" I thought about it, of course. It was my dream. I thought it would be the best thing in the world. Then it actually happened and now I can say that maybe it was, even if the friendship suffered. It's always strange when a dream comes true: it's never how you imagined it.
Now he'll continue to be a hamster and you'll do something else. Maybe you can become friends again.
Well, now that there's no competition anymore, I hope so. I would like to. We were good together. Many say he is a strange guy, I think he is unique. I know him perfectly, I know how his brain works, I know everything about him.
He recently said he would have liked to see Alonso take his place at Mercedes.
As a Formula 1 fan I could not have hoped for anything better, Alonso against Hamilton ten years later, it would have been a unique show. But I understand that the "Bottas solution" makes more sense for Mercedes.
Bottas is said to be saving Vettel's place for 2018.
Well, the contract with Ferrari ends this year, for Mercedes it would be a sensible solution: they will certainly talk about it.
Schumacher in 2007, when he was retiring, confessed that he wanted to swim in the ocean with whales: a dream of his that he had never been able to realize because of F1. What is yours?
Much more banal: I would like to ski, by contract I couldn't. And then take guitar lessons.
Michael Jordan said in '93 that he was retiring to be free. At most even free to return and start playing basketball again by choice and no longer by inertia.
Right, but I don't find myself in it. My story as a Formula 1 driver is over. And I won't reopen it.
Hi! Can you help me? I'm trying to get into brocedes, but am having a hard time finding someone that can explain their dynamics to me.. As in, I want to learn more about this ship but can't find anything that explains their history clearly. Could you help me, by maybe recommending some posts that you like, or talking about your favourite moments of the two? Thank you!
Hi!!
@blorbocedes has a great (and probably the most comprehensive) collection of brocedes info. Here's a navigation post for newbies, which might be helpful for you: https://www.tumblr.com/blorbocedes/721182568236630016/hey-so-i-have-deep-dived-into-brocedes-going?source=share
@distantlaughter shares a lot of important and rare pieces of Nico lore.
Personally, I love when Lewis or Nico (or someone like their karting boss) talk about their karting days in Italy or their childhood friendship in general. That time is the purest and happiest period of their history.
Anon, I hope you'll enjoy it! It's absolutely worth it. It's heartbreaking and poetic, a real-life Greek tragedy.
ellievsbear
dededos
izzy806
kianamaiart
