The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Nico Rosberg: The underdog's champion

Nico Rosberg is now world champion. Who will replace him at Mercedes? (Photo: GEPA pictures/ Christian Walgram)
Roar Guru
28th November, 2016
18

It may have taken over a decade of racing at the highest level, but now Mercedes AMG stalwart Nico Rosberg has at last added his name to prestigious roster of drivers – having been crowned Formula One world champion of 2016.

Having endured immense pressure from his rivals during the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 31-year old did not yield his second position in the race which in the end was enough to secure him that maiden title.

In securing the championship, Rosberg joins a unique club of drivers, becoming only the second son of a previous world champion to claim their own crown.

The first being the legendary Hill father-son duo, where father in the late Graham won the first of his two titles in 1962. Son Damon attained his own success 34 years later in 1996, where he beat his own Williams teammate at the time in Jacques Villeneuve.

Rosberg has also by some marvel has secured his maiden Formula One crown, 34 years after his dad Keke won in 1982 – creating a special piece of history for the sport.

The championship victory for the German won’t indeed come without criticism, primarily from the staunch supporters of the runner up and three-time champion in Lewis Hamilton.

Whether they are mere fans or representatives of the fourth estate, there are many who devoutly believe that Rosberg has lucked into this win, as supposed to have won it deservingly.

Nico Rosberg

Advertisement

Prior to the season opening Australian Grand Prix, this writer made it clear that this was a do or die season for Rosberg, having been trounced imperiously by Hamilton the year prior.

“If Rosberg doesn’t deliver he risks being acquiesced to being yet another ‘number two’ in Formula One history.”

Instead the German has delivered one of his most complete campaigns, in all of his eleven seasons contesting Formula One.

His mantra of taking things race-by-race, as supposed to fretting entirely over the end result as seen a calmer Rosberg than previous seasons – calmer and indeed mature.

He may have only delivered nine race victories to his Hamilton’s vastly superior 10, but it has been the consistency to qualify on the front-row at all 21 events, leading to an unprecedented 15 podium finishes – which has seen him have the edge on the Briton.

While the unreliability of the Mercedes AMG W06 Hybrid has been largely attributed to the outgoing world champion’s demise in 2016, as well as a swapping of mechanics on both sides of the garage, it is forgotten how many mistakes the mighty Hamilton has made too.

Having been unable to get a grasp on the new single-clutch starting system until the latter portion of the season, rendered some of his 12 pole positions moot.

Advertisement

Poor racecraft versus the junior Toro Rosso drivers in the early events was quite laughable also. The fact that we have triple world champion in one of the most dominant cars seen in the sport and he brought to his haunches by Max Verstappen or Carlos Sainz in cars powered by a year-old motor!

Barcelona, Baku… There are many places where it appeared that Hamilton failed to display traits of a multiple championship winner.

Perhaps this is where credit is due to Rosberg, for keeping his head out of trouble for the majority of the campaign. For doing his homework so he understands the vastly technical nature of a modern Formula One car.

His performance in Abu Dhabi alone was enough to justify his status a world champion, having not needed to win the race – but endure and demonstrate resilience to not only his teammate, but the likes of Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel who almost had him in a stranglehold.

The Nico of old would have succumbed to the pressure and have made errors in desperation, as seen in Austria earlier in the season.

Above all, what is most humbling about Formula One’s new world champion is his down to earth persona and never-give-up attitude.

Contrary to what is often emphasised, Rosberg’s journey through the sport has been rocky. Having had four fruitless seasons with Williams until 2010, he was paired with the returning Michael Schumacher at the newly berthed Mercedes AMG team.

Advertisement

Even there it took two full seasons before his first race win was realised in China and then waiting more than a year later to back that triumph up again with his first of three wins back-to-back in Monaco.

Add being bridesmaid to Hamilton for seasons on the trot from 2014, it would have been thought that Rosberg would retract into that ‘number two’ driver shell. But no, he’s shown throughout his eleven seasons in the sport that he won’t give up.

Even if he isn’t the fastest driver on the grid, or the most marketable driver in the sense he wants to be Kanye West’s secretary of state, Nico Rosberg’s ability to continue to fight on is the sign of a true underdog – hence now becoming the world champion that Formula One sorely needed in recent years.

close