Rosberg reveals single-most decisive event in his career

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A driver's career can turn on a whim, for the better or for the worse, and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg revealed one achievement back in 2012 that conditioned the outcome of his life as a racer.

In 2010, after concluding a four-year stint with Williams, Rosberg moved to Mercedes where he was paired with seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

The German duo's rivalry was as competitive as it was tight. But in 2012, when he brought the Silver Arrows outfit its first Grand Prix win of the modern era, Rosberg gained a crucial upper hand over the F1 legend that set him on the path to glory.

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"Very important that I beat him [Schumacher in 2012]," Rosberg told F1's Tom Clarkson in his latest 'Beyond the Grid' podcast.

"It was massively decisive for my career, because that meant that he retired and I stayed on the team.

"Surely he would have stayed and I would have been out [if Schumacher had beaten Rosberg]."

Schumacher's track record with Mercedes between 2010 and 2012 - in the second installment of the great German's F1 career - yielded but a single podium finish in three seasons.

Rosberg believes his team mate's speed back then was intact, but his consistency wasn't.

"I had not even won a race at the time," he remembers.

"He was the best of all time and therefore it's like… first, it's really questioning: 'How am I going to fare against him? He's so damn amazingly good, am I going to be able to be close to him? Am I going to be able to beat him?'

"Sometimes that's really the thinking that was going on. It's difficult to judge, he's my childhood guy, where I'm watching, and just larger than life – he's phenomenal," he added.

"He was a little bit beyond his peak, of course. So he had very strong peak performances, even did pole position in Monaco, we need to remember that, in 2012 in the last year.

"So he had very strong moments, but where it showed that he wasn't at his best anymore was a little bit in the consistency, which was just a little bit off to where it used to be."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.