On this week #48: the 2016 Abu Dhabi GP
On 27 November, Nico Rosberg won the world championship for the first and only time at what was his 200th and final Formula 1 Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver had a 12 point lead over Lewis Hamilton going into the final round of the season. The two team-mates fought no holds barred all season long, coming to blows physically, for example their collision on the opening lap of the Spanish Grand Prix, and mentally. It was a draining experience for both men whose nerves were frayed and it also weighed heavily on team boss Toto Wolff, even though he could call on the legendary Niki Lauda for advice.
Irrespective of where Hamilton finished, as long as Rosberg was in the top three he would take the title. It was definitely on the cards as, that year, no one had come close to beating Mercedes with the exception of Red Bull Racing, who picked up the win in Spain when the two Silver Arrows knocked themselves out and in Sepang, where Hamilton had a power unit problem. While Hamilton had been on a roll in the previous three races, Nico managed his lead by always finishing right behind. Therefore, he had the upper hand coming into the final round, champion even if Hamilton won with another driver second, which meant he had it all to lose. The Englishman could only win and hope and win he did in commanding style, quickest in every session except Saturday's free practice.
Hamilton led from lights out to chequered flag, except during the pit stops, but Nico was right behind him. There was really nothing Lewis could do, his only remote hope being that Vettel and Verstappen, behind Rosberg, might close in and get involved, which is why the Englishman started to back Nico up, trying to snare him that way. However, the German was on his guard and did not let himself get distracted on the way to securing his goal by crossing the line in second place. His father Keke had been crowned champion in 1982 and now the Rosbergs became the second father and son duo to take the title after Graham Hill and son Damon.
The mood was euphoric on the German's side of the garage and downright disconsolate on the other, where Hamilton was already plotting his revenge the following year, feeling he'd been treated unfairly. However, Nico already had another surprise up his sleeve for Lewis, which became public five days later. The annual FIA Gala and award ceremony for all the world champions took place in Vienna that year and in the morning press conference a rumour was doing the rounds and later confirmed that Hamilton would not get his rematch, as Rosberg announced his retirement from racing with these words.
"Since 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my 'one thing' to become Formula One World Champion. Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target. And now I've made it. I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right. My strongest emotion right now is deep gratitude to everybody who supported me to make that dream happen. This season, I tell you, it was so damn tough. I pushed like crazy in every area after the disappointments of the last two years; they fuelled my motivation to levels I had never experienced before. And of course that had an impact on the ones I love too - it was a whole family effort of sacrifice, putting everything behind our target. I cannot find enough words to thank my wife Vivian; she has been incredible. She understood that this year was the big one, our opportunity to do it, and created the space for me to get full recovery between every race, looking after our daughter each night, taking over when things got tough and putting our championship first."
“When I won the race in Suzuka, from the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became World Champion. On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time… and then the lights went out and I had the most intense 55 laps of my life. I took my decision on Monday evening. After reflecting for a day, the first people I told were Vivian and Georg (Nolte, from Nico's management team), followed by Toto (Wolff, the head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport).”
To his credit, Rosberg never looked back. His racing career ended in Abu Dhabi, like a match burning out. He had used up all his mental energy in his duel with Lewis, giving it his all and in the end he took the right decision.
