Nico Rosberg shares first impressions on Lewis Hamilton

Nico Rosberg said he was surprised by the news of Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, but he supports the choice made by his former teammate.

Although only four races into the season, much attention is focused on 2025, when Lewis Hamilton will fulfill the dream of wearing red at the venerable age of 40, bidding farewell to Mercedes after 11 years of tremendous success.

Nico Rosberg knows something about emotional farewells to the Brackley team, having retired with a surprise announcement at the end of 2016 shortly after winning the title. He has now spoken for the first time about his former teammate’s move to Ferrari, expressing surprise but supporting the British driver’s decision, with whom he shared a long journey at Mercedes.

“Of course, it was a big surprise,” commented the former German champion to Sky Sports. “No one expected it, and neither did I. But considering the big picture, why not?”

“It’s towards the end of his career. Two legendary teams: Mercedes and Ferrari. I know Lewis is also a fan of Ferrari road cars. So why not make this change and have a different experience, driving in red?” – the former Formula One driver added.

“He will have had plenty of satisfaction, driving for the two most legendary teams. Moreover, at the moment, in terms of performance, it seems to be the right decision for him.”

Nico Rosberg then brought up the comparison from twelve years ago when Hamilton left McLaren to join Mercedes: “McLaren was winning races, Mercedes was nowhere. At the moment he moved, McLaren went backwards, and Mercedes started winning races. Maybe he will achieve the same timing again.”

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Finally, speaking of the future rivalry with Charles Leclerc, Nico said he was eager to see them both in the same team: “I can’t wait to see this dynamic. Charles doesn’t seem like a person in conflict with his teammate. From this point of view, maybe there won’t be much to fear.”

“Charles is probably the second-best qualifier, apart from Max Verstappen. So it will be a tough battle for both. The level could be similar. It will be nice to see.” Nico Rosberg concluded.