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Former Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton went into the final race of the 2016 season with a shot at the Drivers' title. The German was leading and only needed to finish P3 to take his first F1 title, whereas Hamilton needed to outscore Rosberg by 13 points to win the title. Rosberg came out after the 2016 season and used Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump as an example of what losing to Hamilton would've been like.
While Lewis Hamilton had more podiums and wins than Rosberg during the 2016 season, it was the consistency that helped the German clinch the title. The two drivers were fighting for the title throughout the season, with multiple high moments between the duo.
Going into the final race, Lewis Hamilton was 12 points behind Rosberg. The two Mercedes drivers were running 1-2 at the 2016 Abu Dhabi GP with Hamilton in the lead. However, in an attempt to win the title, the Briton started backing himself and his teammate Rosberg into Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen in P3 and P4, respectively.
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Nico Rosberg needed to finish P3 to win the title, and Hamilton backed up in an attempt to have Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen overtake his teammate. Rosberg featured on the In Depth with Graham Bensinger show after the 2016 title win and compared what losing to Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi would've been like.
“If I would've lost, it would've been really worst as it was so close and I was ahead just before the very end, I had been ahead the whole season. It's so real, tangible and close to then lose it. It's like Hillary Clinton. I don't want to compare myself to Hillary Clinton but the situation is similar.” said Nico Rosberg
“She was ahead all the way through and she's the sure winner. And herself, she thinks she's the sure winner just as I did in a way because for me it must be possible to put my car to finish P3 because I had the best car. So I can really relate to Hillary as well, what a horrible loss that was. You don't wish that on anybody, especially to a candidate like Donald Trump makes it even worse for her.” he added
Nico Rosberg suggests Lewis Hamilton is “not quite at one” with the Ferrari
Nico Rosberg retired after the 2016 F1 season, as one championship was enough for the German. His Mercedes teammate, however, has continued and made a move to Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season. However, the Briton has struggled with the Ferrari SF25, and Rosberg commented on the same after the Dutch GP.
Hamilton crashed out of the Dutch GP after running wide into Turn 3 and slamming the SF25 into the barrier. Speaking about the crash and Hamilton's difficulties with the car, Nico Rosberg said,
“I see him in a little bit of a challenging situation because Zandvoort, that is a mistake I don’t think I have ever seen in his career, that he is driving on his own and just crashes out into the wall. Very, very rare. The cars are very difficult to drive, and he’s not quite at one yet with the Ferrari, and also that does pull him down a bit mentally as well, because he would love to really feel connected and be on it with full confidence. He hasn’t found that state yet.” (via Sky Sports)
Lewis Hamilton most recently faced an issue with his brakes at the Singapore GP, which dropped him from P6 to P8 (after the time penalty was applied.)
