Nico Rosberg says he and Lewis Hamilton will ‘just not be best friends’ after his shock retirement

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Nico Rosberg has said he and Lewis Hamilton “will just not be best friends” a decade after the German’s shock retirement, while adding that their relationship has “thawed” since he left Formula 1 racing. Rosberg made the comments on the latest episode of the official podcast F1 Beyond The Grid, revisiting how their rivalry—and subsequent separation—shaped his view of Hamilton today.

Rosberg and Hamilton shared an intense rivalry that began well before their F1 era, competing together in karting before becoming Mercedes team mates between 2013 and 2016. In that period, Hamilton won two world titles and Rosberg won one, but Rosberg said their relationship deteriorated over four seasons as their on-track battles intensified, particularly in 2016, which he described as “crazy intense.”

Rosberg said he still believes the fight between himself and Hamilton was a “great battle,” and he apologized to fans at the time who wanted the rivalry to continue after his abrupt exit. He noted that he had “given it [his] all” and achieved his dream, describing going out “on a high” as something valuable for the rest of his life.

On the timing of the retirement, Rosberg said it was not only personal but also connected to Mercedes’ situation. He explained that Toto Wolff accepted his decision as “definitive,” and that Mercedes leadership—including Non-Executive Chairman and former World Champion Niki Lauda—was “more on the angry side” because of the position Rosberg’s departure left the team in. Rosberg said he was “compromising their team” because they needed to find a replacement, which he used as a reason to announce the retirement quickly.

Rosberg acknowledged that, in an ideal scenario, he would have preferred a longer gap between winning and announcing retirement, but said the priority was minimizing further disruption to Mercedes. He said he wanted to tell the team immediately so it could “have time to replace and rebuild,” and he described how, in hindsight, the retirement became a bigger story than his championship win.

Regarding the 2016 championship-deciding weekend, Rosberg reflected on the moment in Abu Dhabi and what he said was a gracious response from Hamilton when results were confirmed. Rosberg said he also congratulated Hamilton when he won the championship, noting that Hamilton “didn’t obey the team orders” at the season finale and “was bunching us up.” Rosberg said he believed that increased the risk of the team losing the race because “Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen” were coming from behind, adding that Hamilton appeared to be driving “very slowly on purpose.”

Rosberg said that what felt “horrible in the moment” later struck him as “amazing” in hindsight, because it turned the end of the season into something “all the nicer” rather than purely difficult. He also rejected a comparison to the Senna-Prost dynamic after Prost’s sabbatical in 1992, stating their situation is different and adding that while Hamilton and Rosberg are “neutral,” the two will not become best friends.

Rosberg said that after his retirement, anything would “thaw,” and that he considers the relationship with Hamilton “fine now” and “neutral.” He added, “We will just not be best friends ever,” closing with the view that neutrality is the current, settled state of their post-racing relationship.

The podcast episode also frames the retirement as opening the door for Mercedes to adjust its driver plans for the 2017 season, including the path that led Valtteri Bottas to join the Silver Arrows after Rosberg’s announcement. The comments were part of Rosberg’s broader look back at the shock decision and its consequences for both him and the team.