Nico Rosberg finally beat his rival Lewis Hamilton to win the championship in 2016. Rosberg had to do a lot to finally emerge as the winner, but one crucial factor, he believes, was changing the color of his helmet.
The 39-year-old explained the specific reason for his decision to change the color in a recent interview. He originally wore a yellow helmet, but then switched to black, reducing the overall weight by 80 g. The black color came from the helmet’s carbon fiber, which was previously completely painted. Paint increased the weight, which is why Rosberg decided to drop the idea of coloring the helmet.
For this reason, many modern F1 cars also use a lot of black.
To beat Hamilton, Rosberg had to change another aspect of his lifestyle. Rosberg, an avid cyclist, had to stop cycling to lose 500g of muscle mass in his legs. In total, he lost 1kg.
The reduced weight, says Rosberg, gave him a lead of two hundredths of a second per lap, which he immediately felt on the track. In qualifying in Japan in 2016, Rosberg beat Hamilton by exactly that margin and won the race the next day.
This Japanese GP and other races in which he gained this advantage helped Rosberg to his first and only world championship title.
2016 took its toll on Rosberg
The epic rivalry between Hamilton and Rosberg, which culminated in their duel in 2016, remains one of the hottest rivalries in Formula 1. From childhood best friends to bitter rivals, both drivers gave their all in the fight for the championship in 2016.
33) NICO ROSBERG – THE DRIVER WHO ATTENDED THE MOST RACES TO BECOME CHAMPION
Winning an F1 title is no easy task and he is well aware of that. He had to wait until his 206th race to finally lift the championship trophy, a race that turned out to be his last in all of F1. pic.twitter.com/zAiJRApcvY
— Formula.A.to.Z (@FormulAtoZ) February 5, 2024
For Rosberg, it was his last chance to become world champion, as he had secretly decided to retire. He was suffering not only physically but also mentally, as Marc Priestley revealed. By keeping his family away from him during training, Rosberg’s married life was at stake, putting him under additional pressure to secure the top spot.
After realizing his dream, Rosberg knew it was time to put everything else ahead of Formula 1, so the former German driver retired from the sport after winning the championship.
