It has been five years since Nico Rosberg abruptly ended his career after winning the Formula 1 title in 2016. Since then, the German had always categorically ruled out a comeback, but now admits it crossed his mind. ‘one last dance’.
This happened when his former Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton missed the Sakhir Grand Prix at the end of 2020 due to his COVID-19 positive. The German firm needed a last-minute replacement for the Briton, who was already world champion, and they found the logical candidate in George Russell, who will be the German team’s starting driver in 2022, but Rosberg’s head was also shaking with the idea of competing.
“I even thought about it,” Rosberg uttered at Antenne Bayern ‘s “Sunday Breakfast.” “Hamilton had COVID and had to sit out one race. That’s when I said, ‘Hey, it would be interesting if I got in there again.'”
However, the champion of the 2016 season reconsidered and thought that his return to the Great Circus would not have made much sense . “I would have zero chance, I couldn’t do more than three laps.”
The German reached this conclusion for several reasons, such as his physical form, which at 36 years old and without training would be very low. “My arms and forearms would have hurt right away,” he says. “And my neck would drop between my legs under braking. I couldn’t hold it, I don’t have any muscle left there.”
Rosberg had to admit that without proper preparation , it would be impossible to compete: “I would be able to drive one, two or three laps there, and then it would be over. Physically, there was no chance.”
Fear also played a part, as he now admits, but that depended on the track. “If I was driving in Monaco right now, I would be scared,” says Rosberg. However, if he had replaced Hamilton in Bahrain, he would have felt more confident: “There it was possible, there was desert and there are a lot of loopholes, so I wouldn’t be afraid.”
Finally, George Russell was the one who got into the W11 at Sakhir, and signed a great performance that served to show all the credentials he had to earn the starting position at Mercedes. The Briton was able to achieve his first victory, but he escaped due to a team error in the double change of tires with Valtteri Bottas, and due to a slow puncture that forced him to go through the pits again.
