Nico Rosberg reveals how he forced Lewis Hamilton ‘into mistakes’ during bitter Mercedes rivalry

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Few drivers have managed to beat Lewis Hamilton during their time as teammates, but Nico Rosberg is one of them.

The two went head-to-head for three seasons at Mercedes before Rosberg decided to retire at the end of the 2016 season.

Hamilton moves to Ferrari in 2025 having closed the curtain on an 11-year association with the Silver Arrows.

His legacy is strong though, and his 2016 battle with his German rival is one of the most memorable events in recent Formula 1 history.

Rosberg left Hamilton thinking things were not right throughout their partnership, with the two closely matched on track.

It was a lot for team boss Toto Wolff to manage and it even boiled over at some stages, including their Spanish Grand Prix collision which allowed Max Verstappen to take his first win in 2016.

Nico Rosberg used psychology to ‘force’ Lewis Hamilton into ‘mistakes’

Although they were close friends at one time, Rosberg and Hamilton soon grew to become strong enemies.

Their 2014 and 2015 Drivers’ Championship battles were intense and it was visible that neither wanted to spare an inch.

Guenther Steiner says McLaren’s situation is the modern Hamilton-Rosberg equivalent, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri not very willing to work together sometimes.

Their battle is the sort that would take a lot out of any human being from a mental standpoint and is part of what left Rosberg to walk away from the sport at the young age of 31.

READ MORE: Nico Rosberg shares his first reaction to Lewis Hamilton Ferrari move

Speaking to Netflix’s Drive to Survive cameras during the 2020 season (Season 3, Episode 3), he mentioned how he managed to force Hamilton into mistakes.

“It’s quite unique in sport that your team-mate is your biggest opponent,” he said. “With Lewis, it just went too far.

“Psychology plays a big, big role in sports. It’s huge. Everybody has self-doubt as well. You need to amplify that, you can force him into mistakes.”

Can Lewis Hamilton replicate his best form at Ferrari in 2025?

Helmut Marko thinks Hamilton is still world-class ahead of his move to Ferrari in 2025 but he showed some signs of regression this year.

There’s going to be a lot of work to do over the winter if he wants to be able to compete with new teammate Charles Leclerc on a regular basis.

Hamilton suffered from a very difficult braking issue which may have plagued his pace and could be something that a new car will fix.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton takes cheeky dig at Max Verstappen with ‘doesn’t always work out’ comment

The Scuderia are likely to be in a big fight with McLaren throughout the season and will need him to be on form from day one.

It can be really difficult to gel with a new machine straight away, just ask the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel – so the seven-time champion may require some time to adjust.

At the age of 39, with the level of experience that he has, there should be no doubts that he can return to his very best with the sport’s most historic team.