Jacques Villeneuve slams Lewis Hamilton’s former Mercedes teammate: “No passion for racing”

Jacques Villeneuve has criticized Lewis Hamilton's former teammate, Nico Rosberg, for not having the passion to race. The Canadian asserted that the German driver only had the ambition to win the world championship, as he retired from F1 a few days later, despite having a contract with Mercedes till 2018.

Rosberg made his debut in 2006 and joined Mercedes in 2010. While the Brackley-based squad was the reigning champion, it had fallen into the lower realms of the midfield.

However, the team soon rose through the ranks and became the leading F1 team after the introduction of the turbo-hybrid regulations in 2014. This marked a new chapter in F1 rivalry, as then-teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fought it out for the drivers' title in the following three years.

While the Briton won the 2014 and 2015 drivers' titles, his teammate went on to put an impressive string of results that year and take home the championship at the season finale in Abu Dhabi in 2016. This made a full-circle moment as he won the title, much like his father, Keke Rosberg, who had won in 1982.

This led Nico to reveal his retirement plans five days later, after winning the title. A decision that raised eyebrows about his passion for racing, as 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve said on the Red Flags podcast:

"Rosberg; the minute he won, you could see he was completely spent. He won mentally over Hamilton because he played the game. He played the political game. He was quick in that season against Lewis, but Lewis never saw it coming so we didn’t see the best Lewis. And the minute he won, he gave up. So you could tell that he had no passion for racing.

“And every time I see him, he doesn’t miss racing. He really doesn’t care about racing. All he was wanting to do was win a championship like his dad and then move on. Something strange. He did manage to win a championship but then he didn’t want it anymore. Didn’t want to hold a steering wheel anymore."

Lewis Hamilton continued on his journey in F1, but the two's relationship was relatively strained after the 2016 season.

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Nico Rosberg once shared that he "doesn't regret anything" in his battle with Lewis Hamilton

Nico Rosberg (L) and Lewis Hamilton (R) at the 2016 F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's fierce rivalry had taken a toll on their friendship when they were teammates at Mercedes. The two were known for their bromance in the paddock until it came to the championship.

While this impacted their friendship, Rosberg shared in 2022 in an interview with Eurosport that he didn't regret anything about his combat with Hamilton, though the air between the two has cleared years later:

"I don't regret anything. It was a sensational time and a mega fight. I'm very proud of that. We're now back in neutral, which is fine."

After the German's retirement, Hamilton went on to win four more drivers' titles, before leaving the Brackley-based squad to join Ferrari in 2025.