Nico Rosberg fulfills dream of becoming Formula 1 world champion in Abu Dhabi
Nico Rosberg fulfilled his dream and silenced his detractors in Abu Dhabi by becoming the Formula 1 world champion, matching the achievement of his father Keke, who won the title in 1982.
It was not an easy feat for the German-Finnish driver. He outperformed his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who won the Abu Dhabi race.
In doing so, he proved to Bernie Ecclestone, the historical promoter of the competition, that there are other great drivers in the paddock and that he is more than just second fiddle at Mercedes, as he has shown to be on par with the star of the competition by winning the championship.
His father Keke, the mustached Finn, only needed to win one race to become world champion in 1982 with a Williams. He then won four more titles between 1983 and 1985. Nico has achieved much better results, totaling 23 victories since 2012, 9 of them this year.
After struggling against Hamilton's dominance in 2014 and 2015, Rosberg continued working with his engineers, perfecting his setups and starts to become a better driver.
The son of Keke also acquired the necessary level of confidence. In recent weeks, he has shown great composure and relaxation, while Hamilton tried in vain to destabilize him.
He did not fall into media traps and has managed his communication better, especially on social media, where Hamilton is also a reference.
With a Finnish father and a German mother, Nico Rosberg was born on June 27, 1985, in Wiesbaden. He then grew up in Monaco and started his career in motorsports with karting at the age of 6, just like Hamilton, with whom he was a teammate in this category in 2000 and 2001, a time when the two teenagers were best friends.
A lot has changed since then and rivalry has come between them in recent years. Today, Rosberg is a calm family man and above all a modern driver, a polyglot capable of fluently speaking five languages.
Source: AFP