Jacques Villeneuve has offered a brutally frank assessment of fellow Sky Sports F1 pundit and world champion Nico Rosberg. The Canadian believes that there was ‘something strange’ about the former Mercedes driver and the fashion in which he retired from the sport.
Rosberg battled two of the greatest talents in F1 history during his seven seasons with Mercedes, partnering Michael Schumacher in his first three years with the Silver Arrows before going head-to-head with Lewis Hamilton. The German racer was best friends with Hamilton during his childhood, but when Mercedes perfected the new power unit regulations ahead of the 2014 campaign, it became clear that the duo would be scrapping for the next series of World Championship titles. From there, the relationship deteriorated, and one F1’s greatest rivalries kicked off.
After finishing second in the standings in both 2014 and 2015, Rosberg enjoyed his breakthrough year in 2016. He rattled off four wins to start the campaign and added a further five before closing out his maiden World Championship with four successive P2 finishes. After closing out the deal in Abu Dhabi, he shocked the F1 world by retiring from the sport.
“Rosberg? The minute he won, you could see he was completely spent,” Villeneuve told the Red Flags podcast, delving into his Sky Sports F1 colleague’s F1 history. “He won mentally over Hamilton because he played the game. He played the political game.
“He was quick in that season against Lewis, but Lewis never saw it coming, so we didn’t see the best Lewis. And the minute he won, he gave up. So you could tell that he had no passion for racing. And every time I see him, he doesn’t miss racing. He really doesn’t care about racing.
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“All he was wanting to do was win a championship like his dad and then move on. Something strange. He did manage to win a championship, but then he didn’t want it anymore. Didn’t want to hold a steering wheel anymore.”
Since quitting F1, Rosberg has found a new purpose in the business world. He manages the Rosberg Ventures fund, investing in venture capital funds and start-up companies. He has also returned to the paddock as a pundit, working alongside Villeneuve on Sky Sports’ roster.
In this role, Rosberg has come into his own. The 40-year-old’s carefree attitude allows him to grill drivers, team principals and key paddock figures with no concerns for the awkward situations they provoke. This was evident at the Belgian Grand Prix, when he ran riot during Martin Brundle’s grid walk segment.
