Nico Rosberg once recalled the ‘traumatic’ experience he had with a Lewis Hamilton fan at Monza

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Nico Rosberg had some terrifying crashes during his active career as an F1 driver, but nothing left him more traumatised than an exchange he had with a four-year-old Lewis Hamilton fan at Monza.

Lewis Hamilton’s relationship with Nico Rosberg began during their karting days, through their shared dream of making it to the very top of world motorsport.

It’s rare that two childhood friends end up actually making it onto the Formula 1 grid, and even rarer for them to continue their amicable relationship once their race suits are donned and visors are closed.

Pierre Gasly doesn’t think he’ll mend things with Esteban Ocon until long after they have both retired from racing, and with Hamilton and Rosberg, things may never actually be hashed out.

• READ MORE: The moment Nico Rosberg ‘realised’ he couldn’t let Lewis Hamilton push him around at Mercedes

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Nico Rosberg recalled the ‘traumatic’ experience he had with a Lewis Hamilton fan at Monza

During a 2021 podcast with F1 legend Alain Prost in which the two world champions discussed their respective rivalries, Rosberg shared an exchange that he had with a Hamilton fan that left him with ‘goosebumps’.

The former Mercedes F1 driver said, “For me, one of the most traumatic experiences, I was in Monza before the race, when I was battling with Lewis.

“I was in the pit lane, and we were having a signing session just before the race on a Sunday morning. I hear quite a few people booing, you know. Many people were cheering, but of course, some of them were also booing.

“And then I turn, and I look to where this booing is coming from. And you cannot believe what I see. I see a beautiful four-year-old blonde girl on her dad’s arm. With hatred in her face towards me.

“I was next to her because I was signing for the person next to her, and I get goosebumps still now. It was such a terrible experience.

“The dad had told her that I am evil, because they were, of course, Hamilton fans, and I am evil.

“It’s so tough to deal with that situation, especially if there’s a situation where you know that you haven’t done anything wrong.”

• READ MORE: Nico Rosberg shares why so many people were ‘disappointed’ with how he decided to retire from Formula 1

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Nico Rosberg’s feud with Lewis Hamilton was one of the most explosive intra-team battles F1 has ever seen

The events of the 2016 F1 season have gone down in history as one of the most explosive teammate battles of all-time.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s battle last year was extremely tame compared to the mind games and questionable tactics that were in play between Mercedes’ ambitious duo at the time.

Niki Lauda previously revealed that both Hamilton and Rosberg wouldn’t even greet each other in the mornings, and the toxic environment at Brackley made it difficult for engineers to work as a team.

Things got so bad between the star driver duo that Hamilton and Rosberg were threatened with the sack if anything like what unfolded at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix were to happen again.

In the end, Rosberg’s retirement at the end of his maiden championship-winning campaign put a stop to the immediate spat, but the legend of their rivalry still lives on.