F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Rosberg: No congratulations from Hamilton after Extreme E win

Nico Rosberg received many messages of congratulations following his team's win in the inaugural round in Saudi Arabia of the new Extreme E championship, but he did not hear from series rival and fellow team owner Lewis Hamilton.

The 2016 F1 world champion made the trip to Saudi Arabia last week to oversee Rosberg X Racing's debut in the new adventurous motorsport venture that regroups ten teams competing with electric SUVs off the beaten tracks in remote locations around the world to draw attention to the effects of climate change on our planet.

Rosberg was among the first motorsport personalities to commit to the innovative global series when it was announced last year, as was X44 founder Lewis Hamilton, while a third F1 world champion, Jenson Button, also joined the fray.

While Hamilton remained at home for Extreme E's maiden round, Rosberg was on hand to help guide the winning efforts of RXR's drivers Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor who beat in Sunday's final at Al-Ula the entries of Andretti United and X44.

Asked after his team's win if Hamilton had called in to congratulate him for his success, Rosberg said he hadn't heard from his former F1 arch-rival.

"No, but he probably would have if he had my number," admitted the German.

"Still, how cool is that we are now competing against each other as team bosses and are also first and second in the championship? It’s funny that the duel now continues here."

Points allocated for qualifying and heat wins in addition to the final three-car showdown mean that Rosberg's RXR (35 points) indeed leads Hamilton's X44 team (30 points) after round 1, with the next race set to take place at Dakar in Senegal on May 29-30

"Our teams were in duels all weekend," added Rosberg, speaking to Sky Germany. "Sometimes his team was first, sometimes mine.

"It was a really big duel and in the end we were able to decide it our way, which made me very happy. But that will certainly continue throughout the season.

"The beauty of it is that the more intense our duel becomes, the more attention we can draw to the series – to the issues we are campaigning for, like fighting together against climate change."

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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.

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