Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Nico Rosberg reveals Mercedes made him and Lewis Hamilton sign a ‘crash contract’ after controversial Spanish GP collision

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Aaryaman Roy Moulik | Last updated 4/25/24

The war between Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton between 2014 to 2016 was one of the most iconic rivalries in the history of Formula 1. The pair who were best friends since their karting days had to fight each other week in and week out for race victories, and podiums. The fight between them was called the Silver War which was full of incidents.

Moreover, during those years, the pair also crashed with each other multiple times because of their aggressive racing antics. Following all this, Nico Rosberg has recently revealed a contract that Mercedes made him and the seven-time World Champion sign ahead of their controversial crash in Spain back in 2016.

Rosberg and Hamilton had a fierce rivalry during their time as teammates.

We had to sign a contract that from now on, when we crash no matter whose mistake it is, we pay for the damage. Nico Rosberg via formel1.de

The German driver added how this contract was pretty strict, and after he and Lewis Hamilton signed it they tried their best to avoid crashing with each other. The entire story is interesting and the contract is something that multiple teams might apply in the future.

Nico Rosberg reveals how much he paid Mercedes for the 2016 Barcelona crash

The 2016 F1 season saw Nico Rosberg finally beat Lewis Hamilton for the coveted F1 World Championship. But, the German’s campaign wasn’t smooth as he and the seven-time World Champion had a massive crash during the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona.

Following the contract that they signed for paying for damages after crashing with each other, the German revealed how much he paid for the massive crash.

I remember how much I had to pay: that was 360,000 pounds ( around 420,000 euros) that I shelled out for one of these accidents. That was very painful. Nico Rosberg during the same interview

The 38-year-old also added how paying such a massive amount was definitely very painful for him, and following that, he and Hamilton tried their best not to crash. The rivalry between the two was one of the most action-packed rivalries in F1 and something the die-hard fans miss even today. While Rosberg has become a well-respected pundit, Hamilton is still sparkling his on-track magic at the pinnacle of motor racing.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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