"Try to take it like a man": When Lewis Hamilton opened up on how he would react if Nico Rosberg beat him to the championship

Lewis Hamilton claimed that he would "try to take it like a man" when asked about how he would react to Nico Rosberg winning the world championship in 2016, with four races in the season still to go. This is how it eventually panned out as well, with Hamilton being beaten to the world championship by a teammate for the first time in his career.

At the 2016 United States Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was asked how he would react if his teammate, Nico Rosberg, claimed the title by beating him that year. Rosberg was in a dominant spot to grab his first title at that moment, with a decent points advantage over Hamilton.

The prospect of losing the title had become very real for the Briton, who claimed that he would "try to take it like a man" if he came out second best in 2016.

"Try to take it like a man. You can't win them all," said Hamilton. [via Sky Sports]

"Look at all the world champions in the past who have won championships and lost championships, it's part of the game," he added.

Hamilton also explained that he would still give everything to try and win the title from a seemingly difficult position at the time. The Mercedes man wasn't lying, as he claimed victory at all of the four remaining races from that point onwards. But Rosberg managed to hold onto the championship lead by finishing second in all these races as well, eventually securing his maiden F1 world championship.

The German driver then decided to retire from the sport, claiming that he had achieved his goal in F1. He also explained later how he was conscious of what toll his career took on his family, whom he wanted to spend more time with after 2016.

---

What Lewis Hamilton said after Nico Rosberg beat him to win the 2016 F1 title

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton after the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton explained that the number of issues he had with his car during the year was the real reason why he was not the world champion over Nico Rosberg in 2016. The driver also congratulated his childhood friend turned rival after the 2016 Abu Dhabi GP.

Hamilton was very certain that he did everything he could in his power to win the world championship in 2016.

"I did everything I could, particularly towards the end. Nico had a clean year without any real issues and that's why we sit in this position," he said. [via The BBC]

"But he did a fantastic job, so big congratulations to him," he added.

The title fight in 2016 came down to the last laps of the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP. Hamilton claimed the race win, but Rosberg managed to hold onto P2, eventually winning the title by just five points.