Nico Rosberg opens up on rivalry moments with Lewis Hamilton

Even though some of Mercedes’ leadership had doubts about signing Hamilton, it’s a decision that ended up reshaping the entire team. There was genuine excitement at the time about bringing in someone who already had such a strong history with Rosberg, given their long-standing friendship.

Jenson Button wasn’t sold on the move either, but Hamilton has never looked back, especially after everything he’s accomplished since then. During a chat with the BBC at the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix, Rosberg recalled an early memory from their karting days where they both made the same “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 pit entry. I get to that patch I go flying out into the tyre barriers flat out,” he said.

“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 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 disappointment that he actually managed to do same stupid thing as me.”

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

Rosberg recently changed his tone on Hamilton after seeing him drive for Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix. Their relationship, strained since 2014, hasn’t seen much improvement over the years.

They’re not exactly friendly these days, and even Hamilton has said their relationship won’t ever go back to what it was. The spotlight on their dynamic faded as their rivalry cooled off, leaving little public interest in whether they’d patch things up.

It doesn’t look likely that they’ll reconnect in retirement. But you never know—plenty of former rivals end up mending fences once the competitive edge is gone. Even Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel have found common ground post-career, despite some intense clashes during their time on track.