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Former world champion Nico Rosberg has claimed that he paid £360,000 for his collision with then-Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in their tumultuous 2016 title battle.
The two Mercedes drivers went hammer and tongs for three seasons from 2014 to 2016, with the British driver edging his teammate two to one in terms of championships.
But the 2016 season was by far the most tumultuous as the two former best friends just kept racing each other at the front of the grid for race wins and clashed on multiple occasions.
Their 2016 crash at the Spanish GP remains the most high-profile crash as both drivers went out of the race on Lap 1. Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast, Nico Rosberg spoke about paying for the damages for the crashes with Lewis Hamilton, saying:
“Because Lewis and I crashed, the team ended up making us pay for the damage. We had to sign a contract that from now on, if we crash, no matter whose fault it is, we will pay for the damage.
"I remember how much I had to pay that was £360,000 that I shelled out for one of these accidents. That was very painful. After that, we definitely made sure that we didn’t collide again.”
Nico Rosberg comments about Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari
Nico Rosberg has stated that Lewis Hamilton's switch to Ferrari from Mercedes caught him by surprise. But he pointed out that the seven-time world champion was always a big fan of the Italian team's road cars.
Speaking recently to Sky Sports, the 2016 champion said:
"It came as a huge surprise. No one expected it. It's towards the end of his career. There are two legendary teams - Mercedes and Ferrari - and I know Lewis has always been a big fan of Ferrari road cars also, so why not make that switch and have a different experience of driving in red once?
"At the moment, it seems in performance terms to be the right decision for him, which may be why he's made an amazing move like he did 12 years ago by moving from McLaren for Mercedes."
Lewis Hamilton will race alongside Charles Leclerc in the red team from 2025 onwards and will look to emulate previous greats to get a championship with the most decorated team in the sport's history.
