Nico Rosberg, who currently drives for Mercedes in Formula 1, has won 22 races in his career and was the youngest driver to clock the fastest lap at Bahrain in 2006 when he was just 20 years old. ExpatGo had the opportunity to ask Nico some questions about the new F1 rule changes, his heroes, and his love for Instagram. Nico will be competing in the Formula Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix 2016 on 2nd October.
You’re quite active on social media. Which is your favourite network to use and why?
At the moment it’s definitely Instagram. I just love the fact that it’s all about the pictures and photography. There are so many awesome photos to look through. Also I really like the community, everyone is very like-minded and friendly.
You posted an iconic image of Ali on your Instagram account, identifying him as the biggest sporting hero of all time for you. Who else has had a big inspiration for you in the world of sports?
Ali was the best of all time not just because of all his incredible wins but also what he did for the sport and boxing community was incredible. In the world of F1, Mika Häkkinen is still a big hero of mine. I always watched him racing when I was a kid.
There are several great photos of you driving classic cars. Which car(s) have you enjoyed the most?
I definitely enjoy driving my old Mercedes Pagoda. I take it out for a drive on a free weekend and it’s just about the purity of driving. And I recently had the opportunity to drive Mika Häkkinen’s championship winning McLaren F1 car from 1998. That was very exciting of course!
Among all the moments shared on your social media accounts, which captures your favourite memory? Could you elaborate on it?
Oh there are so many. But the birth of my little daughter was the most special thing I have experienced to date for sure. To share that news with my fans and instantly get so much love back is very rewarding. They even sent us gifts, which was unbelievable.
Your social media account has photos of you with several famous celebrities. Who have you enjoyed meeting the most? Do you get star struck anymore?
Through the sport I get the opportunity to meet some celebrities but I enjoy meeting athletes from other sports definitely the most. I’m a sportsman so there is always something to talk about and I really admire the achievements of other people.
We already have Formula E. What would be your opinion if one day only fully electric cars were used in F1?
I’m not sure if F1 will be fully electric in the future because we already have Formula E. But like everyone else we need to save resources. Of course I would enjoy racing with V12 engines but I really like technology and the progress that’s been made over the last few years. It is important to adjust ourselves to the time we live in.
The new rule changes this season have caused quite a stir in F1 – one being the limited radio communication with the pit, which can make this much more exciting, perhaps, but also very difficult for the drivers. What do you think about this particular rule?
It’s definitely a step in the right direction to make F1 more interesting and easy to understand for the fans again. I personally already had a bad experience with this exact rule but it’s the same for everyone and I think it’s a good step in the right direction.
Do you have a special routine to help prepare yourself right before a race? For example, listening to a certain type of music, eating a special meal, doing a specific exercise, etc.
I’m kind of superstitious about my pre-race routine. There are a few things I always do in the same way. For example, I always step into the car from the right.
In the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2015, you clocked the fastest lap of the race. Do you think you’ll be able to do that again this year?
Malaysia is a very special race for us as a team and we always try everything we possibly can to win a race, but there are some races with that little extra motivation. Malaysia is definitely one of them. Fastest lap is fine but I want to win the race. The fastest lap would be the cherry on the top of the cake.
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