While storm clouds loomed over Spa-Francorchamps last weekend, Sky F1 viewers were treated not just to weather updates – but to a wild ride down memory lane, courtesy of 2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg.
As heavy rain forced an 80-minute delay to the Belgian Grand Prix, Rosberg took full advantage of the airtime, delighting fans with a hilarious and hair-raising anecdote about his former Mercedes teammate and once-best friend – Lewis Hamilton.
What started as a light-hearted memory quickly turned into a jaw-dropping story that had the broadcast crew in stitches.
"A Complete Nutcase”
“We were always on holiday together because we were best friends at the time," Rosberg recalled on-air. "He was at my parents' house. Always with an engine - we were full speed with everything.”
And when Rosberg says “full speed,” he means it—literally. Cue the jet-ski mayhem.
“Lewis was proper nuts, he was nuts completely! I remember once we went jet-skiing together. I was on the back of him on the same jet ski. I had such a big shunt, I flew off in the biggest way,” Rosberg said, laughing.
But the madness didn’t stop there.
“Then we went with two stand-up jet-skis. I watched him go off this giant wave, from the ferry. He did not lift. I have never seen someone go so high airborne.”
As Rosberg tells it, things took a dramatic – and painful – turn for Hamilton mid-flight.
“He came crashing down and knocked open his chin when he smacked down on the jet ski as he landed. So he was lying there half-unconscious! I had to go and check that he was okay. His chin was cut open. Complete nutcase…”
From Friends to Bitter Rivals: Where They Stand Now
Rosberg and Hamilton’s friendship famously fractured during their ultra-competitive stint at Mercedes between 2013 and 2016. But with titles won and helmets hung up, time appears to have mended the wounds.
“We live in the same building [in Monaco], so we catch up from time to time. We have a very nice and mutual relationship now,” Rosberg shared, offering a rare peek into their post-F1 dynamic.
Though they're no longer duking it out on the track, Rosberg still has plenty to say about Hamilton’s racing – and praised his former teammate's seventh-place finish at Spa, especially given he started 18th.
“That was a super job,” Rosberg said, before turning his analytical eye on the bigger picture.
"Ferrari will be pleased Mercedes struggled because if they keep up their form, that helps a lot in the Constructors' Championship a lot,” he noted.
“I guess they will be generally quite positive. Nevertheless, they are still 20 seconds off McLaren which is a big chunk.”
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