The fierce rivalry between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton at the start of the Mercedes dominance era will undoubtedly go down as one of the most intense intra-team battles in the history of Formula 1. Nico Rosberg, triumphing over his childhood friend Hamilton in the 2016 season, not only claimed his maiden F1 title but also proved his mettle against the seemingly indomitable might of the British racing icon. However, as the cheers of victory have faded away, a darker narrative unfolded recently when Nico laid bare the toll his high-pressure F1 career took on his life and mental health.

Two years of bitter pills, swallowing championship losses to his childhood friend Lewis Hamilton, was followed by a triumphant comeback in 2016. However, Nico has opened up about the story behind all the charms of being an F1 world champion. It’s a story of sacrifice, resilience, and a toll extracted from Nico Rosberg’s life that probably played a part in him hanging his helmet right after winning the title.

Those years of championship battles with Lewis were probably the hardest period of Nico Rosberg’s life

Many in the F1 community speculated that Rosberg’s 2016 triumph was solely due to Hamilton’s early-season mechanical struggles. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Rosberg didn’t just win because of Lewis’s misfortune. He capitalized on opportunities with a dedication and passion that reached deep into his psyche. In a recent environmental conservation conference in Helsinki, Nico Rosberg talked about how deep he had to dig to overcome not just the technical challenges but the mental toll of beating Hamilton at his own game.

As per clubs1.bg, Nico Rosberg shared, “In the end [after winning the 2016 title], however, my life and mental health were on the line. So, I calmly accepted the cries that were coming from my phone. My advice to everyone is to use the right people’s services. For 10 years, I worked with a psychologist. We could talk every other day, and each session lasted two hours. It helped me cope with the pressure.” [Translated by Google]

However, he also acknowledged that he wouldn’t have been able to achieve what he achieved without Lewis being there, pushing him to dig deeper and deeper still. “Simultaneously, Lewis was such a driving force, pushing everyone so hard that without him, I would never have achieved what I did,” Nico added.

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It wouldn’t be quite fair to talk about Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton’s rivalry without talking about the ‘Duel in the Desert’ at the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Nico was left hurt and angry after losing to Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain

The Bahrain Grand Prix of 2014 was the dawn of the Rosberg-Hamilton rivalry. While public statements painted the race as the “most fun,” Rosberg recently revealed the true emotions, admitting he was “seriously angry and seriously hurt,” finishing second to Hamilton.

In a conversation on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, the former Mercedes driver peeled back the layers of a racing driver’s life. He acknowledged the need for a bit of Hollywood in their public persona. He revealed that what he said after the race was not true, “Because the truth was I was seriously angry and seriously hurt from finishing second to Lewis, and it was zero fun,” Rosberg admitted.

“As race drivers, we always have to be a bit Hollywood. You can’t always say the truth obviously because it’s going to backfire otherwise,” he added.

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Nico Rosberg’s candid admissions serve as a reminder that behind the glitz and glamour of Formula 1, there are actual human beings who are under a lot of pressure. And in Rosberg’s case, he was battling all those years with arguably the Greatest Of All Time in Formula 1, and it had taken a huge toll on his mental health. What are your thoughts on Nico’s admissions? Let us know in the comments.