2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg has revealed that he wishes to rebuild the lost friendship he once had with former Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
During their junior years in karting both Hamilton and Rosberg competed against each other regularly and became good friends, both dreaming of fighting for the F1 world title against each other in the same team.
After a four-year partnership at the Silver Arrows, Rosberg finally clinched the title in 2016 after a thrilling battle with Hamilton for the third year running. With Mercedes having dominated the grid since 2014 it meant the pair had to battle each other on track putting a strain on their long-standing friendship.
During a Twitter Q&A, the German answered a question from a fan, which was if the four-time world champion was 'as annoying behind the cameras as he is on them?' Rosberg defended his former team-mate by saying: "We were really good friends back in the day and I still have a lot of respect for him and always will have."
"In private he's a good guy, so of course, it's always different the way you get perceived on camera and how you are in that big F1 world, but in private I can say he is a really good guy with some good values. So I hope maybe with time one day we can get back to getting on better."
Rosberg also revealed that beating the Briton to the world title made the feeling even sweeter having never once bested Hamilton during their battles in junior formula, believing it was the best way to round off his career after announcing his shock retirement just days after clinching the world title in Abu Dhabi.
"That sort of battle, it doesn't get better than that. Racing against one of the best of all time in the same car as you…awesome. Then to come out beating him at the end, doing better than that is not possible and that's why it gave me such fulfillment for my career. It couldn't have ended in a better way and the opponent counts in that."
