Nico Erik Rosberg (born 27 June 1985 in Wiesbaden, West Germany) is a retired German Formula One driver who formerly drove for Williams and Mercedes. He is the 2016 World Champion, and is well-known for beating the seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher comprehensively on his comeback in 2010, and again in 2011. He is the son of 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg, who is Finnish. The Rosbergs are the second father-and-son world champions, after Graham and Damon Hill.
He has won one race in 2012, two in 2013, and five in 2014, claiming second place in the 2014 Drivers' championship after a season-long battle with teammate Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg won six more races in 2015, again finishing second to Hamilton for the title. And in 2016, Rosberg won nine races, on his way to the World Championship.
His permanent number for his career is #6,[1] which was his father's number for much of his career at Williams.
On December 2nd 2016, Rosberg announced his retirement from Formula One just after winning the 2016 title.[2] In January 2017, he was mentioned to remain as an ambassador of the Mercedes team.[3]
Formula One Career[]
Before Formula One[]
Rosberg began his racing career at the age of ten, racing karts. In the year 2000, Rosberg would be partnered with his future Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. In 2002, Rosberg advanced to the German Formula BMW and managed to win a title. Due to his performance in the series, his father Keke Rosberg gave him a ride in the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2003 and 2004.
After declining an aeronautical engineering course at Imperial College London, Rosberg was invited to racing with team ART Grand Prix in the new GP2 series. With great success in GP2, in 2005 he became the first driver to win the GP2 title.
2006[]
Late in 2005, Rosberg had signed with Williams for the following season. He made history even before the first race of the season. Like all new Williams drivers, Rosberg was required to take the Engineering Aptitude Test, on which he recorded the highest score in Williams' history.
He began the 2006 season alongside his teammate Mark Webber, who had joined the team one year earlier. The Williams car was considered to be far below the standards and experts said the team was not competitive. Despite this, Rosberg performed admirably in Bahrain and took a points finish. He was even able to record the fastest lap time, becoming the youngest driver in Formula One history to do so.
The remainder of the season went poorly for Rosberg. He suffered many retirements and was uneffective in scoring any points, other than the four he had scored in the first race. He had scored three points less than Webber. It was rumoured that Rosberg would be changing teams for the next season, but he accepted Williams' offer to stay. However, his teammate would leave to drive for Red Bull after his two-year contract with Williams expired and was not renewed.
2007[]
Partnered with Alexander Wurz, Rosberg continued his career with Williams. A switch to Toyota engines for the team was predicted to improve the performance of the team. Rosberg became a qualifying master, managing to score multiple top-ten grid places. Rosberg had proved to be a responsible driver, only retiring from three races because of mechanical failures.
Rosberg scored ninth position in the World Championship, performing better than Wurz by seven points. This was a considerable improvement from his previous results, causing Wurz to lose his seat with the team. It was clear that Rosberg would be back on Williams next season.
2008[]
For his return to Williams for the 2008 season, Rosberg was paired with the rookie Kazuki Nakajima. The first race of the season went well of Rosberg who managed to get his first podium finish.
Rosberg hit some more milestones in the Singapore Grand Prix. There he was able to lead his first race, leading ten laps before being overtaken by Felipe Massa for the win. Rosberg was not successful in winning the event, but managed to earn his the first second place finish in his career and the highest finish of his career (at that time).
His first run in with the race stewards was after qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix. During the qualifying session, he had made contact with the eliminated Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen. He was given a ten-place grid penalty for the race.
For the rest of the season, Rosberg was let down by the car's poor performance and was only successful in scoring three other points scoring positions. This placed him in thirteenth place in the Championship, placing him two places higher than his teammate.
2009[]
Rosberg had a great season with Williams. He was able to score points in all but six races and was able to qualify in the top-ten on multiple occasions. He only suffered one retirement due to a gearbox issue. Rosberg was successful in getting a seventh place finish in the World Championship and beating his teammate who scored no points in the season.
Rosberg announced his exit from the team at the end of the season. He would be moving to the new Mercedes works team, serving as teammate to the legendary Michael Schumacher.
"They're the only team, I've worked with. Frank Williams, especially, Adam Parr, Sam Michael, Patrick Head have really supported my career over these years and I'd like to say a very big thank you to them. There's no reason why they can't be as good as this year. But I'm not sure they can win races at the moment, and I would like to win races. It's been a good season because the team gave me a good car it was an opportunity to raise my share value and to find a winning car for next year." - Nico Rosberg
Williams would start with two new drivers for the 2010 season. They would hire Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hülkenberg.
2010[]
Now with Mercedes, Rosberg noticed a notable improvement in his results. There was a lot of hype about the return of Michael Schumacher, but Rosberg was able to out-race his teammate in most events, despite the pressure.
Rosberg qualified for his first front row grid position in the Malaysian Grand Prix and also earned a third place finish. This was the team's first podium finish since their Formula One comeback. He repeated this finish at the next race in China and also in Britain almost three months later.
Rosberg was involved in his first race accident during the Korean Grand Prix when he was collected by Mark Webber on the 18th lap of the race. Both drivers were forced to retire from the event. Rosberg was able to score points in all of the races, except for this and one other retirement and two other finishes.
He finished the season in 7th place, scoring nearly twice as many points as Schumacher.
2011[]
Rosberg was eager to out-race his legendary teammate once again. The first race of the 2011 season didn't quite go to plan, as an accident forced Rosberg to retire to the garage. He was also unsuccessful in scoring points in the next race at Malaysia, as a twelfth place finished was not in scoring position.
The next race in China was most successful for Rosberg. A top-five finish would give him his first ten points of the season. He repeated this in Turkey. Although he managed to score points in most of the remaining races, the team struggled with achieving top finishes. This was largely because the new Mercedes MGP W02 was uncompetitive, but an accident on the first lap of the Italian Grand Prix did not help the situation.
To end the season, Rosberg earned his third consecutive seventh place Championship finish. This was enough the beat Schumacher once again and meant that Rosberg would keep his Mercedes seat for another year.
2012[]
Partnered with Schumacher once again, Rosberg resumed his career with Mercedes for the 2012 season. His season did not have as good of a start as some of his previous season. He was unable to earn any points in the first two races.
However, Rosberg's luck changed when he earned a pole and win in China, beating both McLaren drivers by 20 seconds. Rosberg broke three milestones that weekend; his first career pole position, his first career win and Mercedes' first win since their return to Formula One.
"It’s a reward for all our colleagues who have put in so much work and who never let themselves be distracted from their dream of winning races in Formula One. It’s also the perfect example that you can achieve what you want to when the right conditions are put in place and you are totally committed to the direction you are heading in. Nico showed great class yesterday: it was a composed win, with an advantage of more than 20 seconds." - Norbert Haug (Mercedes Vice President)
The rest of the season when relatively normal. A second place finish in Monaco was his only other podium finish. He managed to score points in the vast majority of the races. Despite retirements in Japan, South Korea and Abu Dhabi from collisions early in the race, Rosberg managed to finish the season with 93 points. This put him in ninth position, four positions up on Schumacher.
At the end of the season, the seven time world champion Michael Schumacher announced his second retirement. After Lewis Hamilton's contract with McLaren expired at the end of the season, it was decided that he would fill the champion's seat. This meant that Rosberg would finally earn his number one driver status with Mercedes.
2013[]
Now partnered with previous karting teammate Lewis Hamilton, Rosberg was looking to show the team that his number one team status was well-deserved. A retirement in Australia and China because of mechanical failures early in the season, did not help him show this. Hamilton had already managed to get two podium finishes with Mercedes under his belt but this time.
Things were looking better for Rosberg, as he earned three consecutive pole positions. It was not until the third in Monaco that he finally cashed in a win, with another win in Hamilton's home Grand Prix as icing on the cake.
However, even another two podium finishes would leave Rosberg 18 points short of his teammate's 189 points. The team announced that both drivers would be returning with the team next season and that Rosberg would maintain his number one driver status with the team.
2014[]
Rosberg got the season off to a perfect start with a win in the Australian Grand Prix. However, Rosberg came second behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton in the next four races.
In the final qualifying session at the Monaco Grand Prix, Rosberg went off the track at Mirabeau, which caused yellow flags and prevented his teammate Lewis Hamilton from getting pole.[4] There was a lot of controversy surrounding this incident, as some felt Rosberg deliberately spun off the track to prevent his teammate from getting pole. However, the stewards ruled that the incident was not made purposely, meaning that Rosberg kept pole position,[5][6] and went on to win the race ahead of Hamilton.[7]
2015[]
2016[]
Driving Style[]
Peter Windsor[]
In 2015, Windsor conducted a driving analysis of the different Formula One drivers' during February pre-season testing.[8] Windsor watched the drivers' as they entered and exited the highly technical corners of turns two and three of the Circuit de Catalunya.[8]
Windsor did not make much mention of Rosberg whom was simply considered "very similar to Lewis through there." [8]Hamilton in turn was described as making the superior Mercedes look "very, very easy" through the corners to which the Mercedes was described to have had the perfect balance "through the steering and the throttle."[8]
Personal life[]
On 11 July 2014, Rosberg married childhood friend and long-time fiancée Vivian Sibold.[9] It was later announced on 20 February 2015 that they would have a baby girl in August of the same year,[10] being born on 30 August[11] and named Alaϊa.
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Record[]
Year | Entrants | Team | Pts | WDC Pos. | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | BMW Williams F1 Team | Williams-BMW | Test Driver | ||
2003 | BMW Williams F1 Team | Williams-BMW | Test Driver | ||
2004 | BMW Williams F1 Team | Williams-BMW | Test Driver | ||
2005 | BMW Williams F1 Team | Williams-BMW | Test Driver | ||
2006 | Williams F1 Team | Williams-Cosworth | 4 | 17th | Report |
2007 | AT&T Williams | Williams-Toyota | 20 | 9th | Report |
2008 | AT&T Williams | Williams-Toyota | 17 | 13th | Report |
2009 | AT&T Williams | Williams-Toyota | 34.5 | 7th | Report |
2010 | Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes | 142 | 7th | Report |
2011 | Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes | 89 | 7th | Report |
2012 | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes | 93 | 9th | Report |
2013 | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes | 171 | 6th | Report |
2014 | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes | 317 | 2nd | Report |
2015 | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes | 322 | 2nd | Report |
2016 | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes | 385 | 1st | Report |
Career Statistics[]
Entries | 206 |
Starts | 206 |
Pole Positions | 30 |
Front Row Starts | 60 |
Race Wins | 23 |
Podiums | 57 |
Fastest Laps | 20 |
Points | 1594.5 |
Laps Raced | 11159 |
Distance Raced | 56,096 km (34,856 mi) |
Races Led | 55 |
Laps Led | 1533 |
Distance Led | 7,587 km (4,714 mi) |
Doubles | 15 |
Hat-Tricks | 3 |
Grand Chelems | 2 |
Race Wins[]
Career Results[]
Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Pts | Pos | ||
2006 | 4 | 17th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
7th | Ret | Ret | 11th | 7th | 11th | Ret | 9th | Ret | 9th | 14th | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 11th | 10th | Ret | ||||||||
2007 | 20 | 9th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
7th | Ret | 10th | 6th | 12th | 10th | 16th | 9th | 12th | Ret | 7th | 7th | 6th | 6th | Ret | 16th | 4th | |||||||||
2008 | 17 | 13th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
3rd | 14th | 8th | Ret | 8th | Ret | 10th | 16th | 9th | 10th | 14th | 8th | 12th | 14th | 2nd | 11th | 15th | 12th | ||||||||
2009 | 34.5 | 7th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
6th | 8th [12] |
15th | 9th | 8th | 6th | 5th | 5th | 4th | 4th | 5th | 8th | 16th | 11th | 5th | Ret | 9th | |||||||||
2010 | 142 | 7th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
5th | 5th | 3rd | 3rd | 13th | 7th | 5th | 6th | 10th | 3rd | 8th | Ret | 6th | 5th | 5th | 17th | Ret | 6th | 4th | |||||||
2011 | 89 | 7th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
C | Ret | 12th | 5th | 5th | 7th | 11th | 11th | 7th | 6th | 7th | 9th | 6th | Ret | 7th | 10th | 8th | 6th | 6th | 7th | ||||||
2012 | 93 | 9th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
12th | 13th | 1st | 5th | 7th | 2nd | 6th | 6th | 15th | 10th | 10th | 11th | 7th | 5th | Ret | Ret | 11th | Ret | 13th | 15th | ||||||
2013 | 171 | 6th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ret | 4th | Ret | 9th | 6th | 1st | 5th | 1st | 9th | 19th | 4th | 6th | 4th | 7th | 8th | 2nd | 3rd | 9th | 5th | |||||||
2014 | 317 | 2nd | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | Ret | 1st | 4th | 2nd | 2nd | Ret | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 14th | |||||||
2015 | 322 | 2nd | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 8th | 2nd | 17th | 4th | 2nd | Ret | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||||||
2016 | 385 | 1st | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | Ret | 7th | 5th | 1st | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 4th | 1st | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd |
Key | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols |
Notes[]
- ↑ "Nico Rosberg Twitter (12:43 PM - 10 Jan 2014 Tweet)". twitter.com. Twitter. https://twitter.com/nico_rosberg/status/421744040405897216. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "Nico Rosberg retires: World champion quits Formula 1 five days after title win" (in en-GB). British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 December 2016. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/38185846. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- ↑ "F1 champion Nico Rosberg returns to Mercedes as ambassador for 2017". Mail Online. 16 January 2017. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-4125302/Nico-Rosberg-returns-Mercedes-F1-ambassador-2017.html. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ↑ Noble, Jonathan; Beer, Matt (24 May 2014). "Nico Rosberg's Monaco pole is under investigation after his Q3 off". Autosport (Haymarket Publications). http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114106. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ↑ "Rosberg keeps Monaco pole following Stewards' investigation". FIA. 24 May 2014. http://www.fia.com/news/rosberg-keeps-monaco-pole-following-stewards-investigation. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ↑ "FIA Stewards Decision — Document No. 33". FIA. 24 May 2014. http://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/external_archive/node7570/Formula%20One%20Monaco%20Grand%20Prix%202014%20Document%20-%2033.pdf. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "Monaco Grand Prix as it happened". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 23 August 2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/27560303. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 FORMULA 1. (2015, March 13). Analysis of Turns Two and Three in Barcelona. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvqVtbwx5JQ
- ↑ "Nico Rosberg gets married". Motorsport.com (Motorsport.com, Inc.). 11 July 2014. http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/nico-rosberg-gets-married. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "Nico Rosberg Twitter (11:36 PM - 19 Feb 2015 Tweet)". twitter.com. Twitter. https://twitter.com/nico_rosberg/status/568675455705985024. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "Nico Rosberg Twitter (12:29 AM - 31 Aug 2015 Tweet)". Twitter. https://twitter.com/nico_rosberg/status/638252281725624320. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ↑ Race stopped after 31/56 Laps. Half points awarded
External links[]
Sporting Positions | ||
Formula One World Drivers' Champion | ||
Preceded by Lewis Hamilton |
Nico Rosberg 2016 |
Succeeded by incumbent |
V T E | Nico Rosberg | |
---|---|---|
Seasons 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 | ||
Season Reports 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 | ||
Teams Williams (2006-2009) • Mercedes (2010–2016) | ||
Teammates Mark Webber (2006) • Alexander Wurz (2007) • Kazuki Nakajima (2007-2009) • Michael Schumacher (2010–2012) • Lewis Hamilton (2013-2016) | ||
Rivalries Lewis Hamilton | ||
Other pages Keke (father) • Statistics • Teammate comparison • Category |
V T E | Mercedes Grand Prix | ||
---|---|---|---|
Current drivers 44. Lewis Hamilton · 63. George Russell | |||
World Champions Juan Manuel Fangio (1954, 1955) · Lewis Hamilton (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) · Nico Rosberg (2016) | |||
Former Drivers Michael Schumacher · Juan Manuel Fangio · Nico Rosberg · Valtteri Bottas · Hans Herrmann · Karl Kling · Stirling Moss · André Simon · Piero Taruffi · Hermann Lang | |||
Personnel Nick Fry · Bob Bell · Aldo Costa · Toto Wolff | |||
Former Personnel Norbert Haug · Alfred Neubauer · Max Sailer · Rudolf Uhlenhaut · Paddy Lowe | |||
Cars W154 · W196 · W01 · W02 · W03 · W04 · W05 · W06 · W07 · W08 · W09 · W10 · W11 · W12 · W13 · W14 · W15 | |||
V T E | List of World Drivers' Champions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1950: Giuseppe Farina 1951: Juan Manuel Fangio 1952: Alberto Ascari 1953: Alberto Ascari 1954: Juan Manuel Fangio 1955: Juan Manuel Fangio 1956: Juan Manuel Fangio 1957: Juan Manuel Fangio 1958: Mike Hawthorn 1959: Jack Brabham 1960: Jack Brabham 1961: Phil Hill 1962: Graham Hill 1963: Jim Clark 1964: John Surtees 1965: Jim Clark 1966: Jack Brabham 1967: Denny Hulme 1968: Graham Hill 1969: Jackie Stewart |
1970: Jochen Rindt 1971: Jackie Stewart 1972: Emerson Fittipaldi 1973: Jackie Stewart 1974: Emerson Fittipaldi 1975: Niki Lauda 1976: James Hunt 1977: Niki Lauda 1978: Mario Andretti 1979: Jody Scheckter 1980: Alan Jones 1981: Nelson Piquet 1982: Keke Rosberg 1983: Nelson Piquet 1984: Niki Lauda 1985: Alain Prost 1986: Alain Prost 1987: Nelson Piquet 1988: Ayrton Senna 1989: Alain Prost |
1990: Ayrton Senna 1991: Ayrton Senna 1992: Nigel Mansell 1993: Alain Prost 1994: Michael Schumacher 1995: Michael Schumacher 1996: Damon Hill 1997: Jacques Villeneuve 1998: Mika Häkkinen 1999: Mika Häkkinen 2000: Michael Schumacher 2001: Michael Schumacher 2002: Michael Schumacher 2003: Michael Schumacher 2004: Michael Schumacher 2005: Fernando Alonso 2006: Fernando Alonso 2007: Kimi Räikkönen 2008: Lewis Hamilton 2009: Jenson Button |
2010: Sebastian Vettel 2011: Sebastian Vettel 2012: Sebastian Vettel 2013: Sebastian Vettel 2014: Lewis Hamilton 2015: Lewis Hamilton 2016: Nico Rosberg 2017: Lewis Hamilton 2018: Lewis Hamilton 2019: Lewis Hamilton 2020: Lewis Hamilton 2021: Max Verstappen 2022: Max Verstappen 2023: Max Verstappen |
V T E | List of World Drivers' Championship runners-up | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1950: Juan Manuel Fangio 1951: Alberto Ascari 1952: Giuseppe Farina 1953: Juan Manuel Fangio 1954: José Froilán González 1955: Stirling Moss 1956: Stirling Moss 1957: Stirling Moss 1958: Stirling Moss 1959: Tony Brooks 1960: Bruce McLaren 1961: Wolfgang von Trips 1962: Jim Clark 1963: Graham Hill 1964: Graham Hill 1965: Graham Hill 1966: John Surtees 1967: Jack Brabham 1968: Jackie Stewart 1969: Jacky Ickx |
1970: Jacky Ickx 1971: Ronnie Peterson 1972: Jackie Stewart 1973: Emerson Fittipaldi 1974: Clay Regazzoni 1975: Emerson Fittipaldi 1976: Niki Lauda 1977: Jody Scheckter 1978: Ronnie Peterson 1979: Gilles Villeneuve 1980: Nelson Piquet 1981: Carlos Reutemann 1982: Didier Pironi 1983: Alain Prost 1984: Alain Prost 1985: Michele Alboreto 1986: Nigel Mansell 1987: Nigel Mansell 1988: Alain Prost 1989: Ayrton Senna |
1990: Alain Prost 1991: Nigel Mansell 1992: Riccardo Patrese 1993: Ayrton Senna 1994: Damon Hill 1995: Damon Hill 1996: Jacques Villeneuve 1997: Heinz-Harald Frentzen* 1998: Michael Schumacher 1999: Eddie Irvine 2000: Mika Häkkinen 2001: David Coulthard 2002: Rubens Barrichello 2003: Kimi Räikkönen 2004: Rubens Barrichello 2005: Kimi Räikkönen 2006: Michael Schumacher 2007: Lewis Hamilton 2008: Felipe Massa 2009: Sebastian Vettel |
2010: Fernando Alonso 2011: Jenson Button 2012: Fernando Alonso 2013: Fernando Alonso 2014: Nico Rosberg 2015: Nico Rosberg 2016: Lewis Hamilton 2017: Sebastian Vettel 2018: Sebastian Vettel 2019: Valtteri Bottas 2020: Valtteri Bottas 2021: Lewis Hamilton 2022: Charles Leclerc 2023: Sergio Pérez | ||
* Michael Schumacher was disqualified from the 1997 championship. |
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