“Still My Family”- Lewis Hamilton’s Ex-F1 Rival Nico Rosberg Shares His Pain in Mercedes’ Defeat

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was certainly a day to forget for the Silver Arrows team. Lewis Hamilton was in line to become the greatest ever F1 driver. Moreover, he looked set to win the record 8th title, leaving behind the great Michael Schumacher. But the last moment Safety Car incident changed the course of the championship for the seven-time world champ.

Hamilton, who was on wore-off rubbers, could not defend his ground against the title rival and came home to see the chequered flag in the second place. Reactions have been pouring in since that day, mostly sympathizing with the Briton. Many believe that the result was manipulated to make the racing spectacle worthy at the cost of a fair outcome.

2016 F1 champion driver Nico Rosberg has expressed his sympathies for the former teammate for missing out on a crucial title. The two have a long-dated history of close title fights at their time in Mercedes.

Rosberg extends sympathies to Lewis Hamilton

Nico Rosberg drove for Mercedes from 2010 to 2016. The two had a long-standing relationship from the Karting days, but it faded away with time when the two started competing for championships together. However, Rosberg gave a chance of redemption when he retired from the sport in 2016.

WATCH THIS STORY: 5 Breathtaking Wins of Max Verstappens F1 Career

In a recent interview reported by GpBlog, Rosberg expressed his pain over the last-minute debacle that cost Mercedes a title.

“I felt incredible pain. I have no ties to Mercedes now, but it’s still my family,” said the German.

A general perception among the F1 community is that Max Verstappen is a deserving champion and Rosberg also shares a similar line of thought. However, he also believes that the race committee could have handled the situation in a better way. He labeled the last-minute decisions by the FIA “strange”.

“It’s a pity that it ended this way with a strange decision of the FIA,” Rosberg concluded.

However, now that the Silver Arrows team have pulled back the protests, the dust seems to have settled between the title rivals. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will battle it out on the track in the 2022 season. Fans are rooting for another round of this rivalry and it is surely going to be an exciting one.

Read More- Mercedes F1 Boss Toto Wolff Explains His Partying Antics With Valtteri Bottas Amid Criticism