Nico Rosberg was once left ‘so embarrassed’ after Lewis Hamilton copied his ‘stupid’ racing mistake

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Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton enjoyed one of the most intense Formula 1 rivalries in the history of the championship.

Their four years together at Mercedes helped to produce some of the most exciting conclusions to the drivers’ championship ever seen. Overall, it was Hamilton who came out on top by a score of 3-1, but not before their friendship had fallen apart.

Rosberg had the last laugh, claiming the 2016 title before riding off into the sunset and retiring just days later, but it has always left fans wondering whether he could have beaten him again, or whether he could have reached the very top for a second time.

Rosberg says Hamilton proved he was an ‘assassin’ by ignoring some team orders back in 2016, en route to losing the championship. Niki Lauda’s persuasive ‘attitude’ helped Mercedes sign Hamilton, and the rest was history. Their dynasty is etched forever.

READ MORE: He was Lewis Hamilton’s GP2 teammate and one of Toto Wolff’s first signings but he never qualified for an F1 race

Nico Rosberg was left ‘so embarrassed’ after Lewis Hamilton copied his ‘stupid’ mistake in karting

Even though Mercedes’ ‘top brass’ were put off signing Hamilton, it ended up being a move that changed them forever. At the time of signing, there was a lot of buzz and excitement surrounding the idea that he had known Rosberg for a long time and had been close friends.

Even Jenson Button criticised Hamilton for joining Mercedes, but there’s nothing he would change about the past now he has achieved so much. When reflecting on their younger days at the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix with the BBC, Rosberg shared a funny story about the two both making a ‘stupid’ mistake.

“We had the first test as teammates, for our new [karting] team, new company, new everything. We go out, and I go out first and Lewis comes out behind, and it was a bit rainy overnight, and the track was dry except for one patch, which was just before the pit entry. I get to that patch, I go flying out into the tyre barriers, flat out.

“Already, that was so embarrassing for me, really, first lap out, destroyed the kart in the barriers. And then I get out of the kart and I see this dude [Hamilton] arriving, and I was like ‘Oh no, oh no.’ And he hits the same patch as me, and goes flying out and hits my kart, which was in the barriers.

“Both karts were parked together, on top of each other, kind of thing, completely destroyed. I must say, there was a little tiny smile that actually arrived also on my face, not only the disappointment that he actually managed to do the same stupid thing as me.”

READ MORE: How Lewis Hamilton lost the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix after the ‘worst judgement’ in Formula 1 history

Do Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton get on well in 2025?

Rosberg performed a Hamilton u-turn recently after seeing his latest performance for Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix. For quite a while, the two have barely been on speaking terms, ever since their friendship began to break down in 2014.

Nowadays, they still slightly avoid each other, and Hamilton has even admitted that their relationship would never be the same again, but since the intensity of their rivalry cooled down, so has interest in their affairs.

It feels unlikely that they would reconnect after retirement, but never say never. Even the likes of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel get along better than they used to now that they have moved on from their sometimes aggressive on and off-track battles and into other lines of work.