Lewis Hamilton looked back on a picture in which he was standing next to Nico Rosberg during the 2013 pre-season test drives in Jerez. The Briton remembered the excitement he felt before the test session, as this was his first time behind the wheel of a Mercedes F1 car.
Mercedes W05 – Paddy Lowe, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Toto Wolff – #Jerez, Spain 2014 # F1 http://t.co/0xYtXUDXqs
In a social media video posted on Petronas Motorsport’s official YouTube page, Hamilton recalled his first test drive for the Mercedes F1 team in 2013. The then-former world champion spoke about his mindset before the test and highlighted the expectations the team had of him. He said:
“This is Jerez when I first tested it in 2013 when I joined this team. I remember the day exactly, the excitement of being able to drive the car for the first time. “
Back then, the German team was not the Formula 1 giant as we know it today, as it only finished fifth in the constructors’ championship at the end of 2012. Lewis Hamilton joined Mercedes after driving for McLaren since his debut in 2007, replacing the great Michael Schumacher, who was due to retire at the end of the 2012 season. The now 36-year-old driver was brought in to add to the team and help them fight for titles. He said about the move:
“The team wasn’t up there at the time. My goal was to work with them and help them eventually win a world championship. And then we won the championship next year. “
Mercedes won its first Constructors’ title in 2014 and has never looked back since winning it every year.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg had a bitter rivalry within Mercedes
Despite winning the constructors ‘championship in 2016, things weren’t all that smooth in the Mercedes garage as Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton fought for the drivers’ title. An extremely capable car, paired with two of the best drivers on the grid, often saw friction between them.
On that day in 2016 …
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crash on the first lap of the Spanish Grand Prix, giving teenage Max Verstappen his first win in his first race for Red Bull
# F1
On that day in 2016 … Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed on the first lap of the Spanish Grand Prix, giving teenager Max Verstappen his first win in his first race for Red Bull # F1 https: / /t.co/dhrCHhdLI4
The most notorious case of friction between the two was the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, where both riders got out of the way in a collision on the first lap. Hamilton and Rosberg were both accused on team radio after the collision.
Team boss Toto Wolff reacted diplomatically, claiming it was wrong to accuse one of the two parties. He said:
“When we looked at the incident and there were people on the team who had racing experience and had an opinion, we all had different opinions. What I’m taking home is that it was an incident that both sides could have avoided. It’s so hard to really blame a percentage. ”
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However, Nico Rosberg was able to prevail against the British and won the championship at the last race in Abu Dhabi. The driver has since retired from the sport.
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