Nico Rosberg is one of a growing number of motor racers who has a close family connection with the sport, as his father, Keke, was World Drivers’ Champion in 1982. Nico was born in Wiesbaden in Germany, although his father was Finnish. Growing up with the lifestyle of a Formula One world champion and in a multinational family – his father is Finnish, and his mother is German – Nico has spent most of his life living in Monaco, and is fluent not just in German and English, but also in French, Italian and Spanish.
After competing in the GP2 series in 2005 for ART, Nico moved to Williams and Formula One in 2006. His career grew during his years at Williams, and in 2008, he scored his first podium position. In 2009, Nico scored every point that Williams gained during the season, securing seventh place for him and sixth for Williams.
2010 saw a move to Mercedes, who had just bought the championship winning Brawn team, and has been Nico’s home in Formula One ever since. Nico managed to win his first Grand Prix in 2012, making it the first Mercedes win in Formula One since Jan Manuel Fangio in 1955.
In 2013, Nico had a new team mate, Lewis Hamilton, and it was for Nico an exciting season, with a win at Monaco, making him the first son of a Monaco Grand Prix winner to repeat the feat there, after his father, Keke, won there thirty years ago. Given how much time Nico has spent growing up in Monaco, it must feel like his home Grand Prix. I had the pleasure of watching him win a rather dramatic 2013 British Grand Prix too, the circuit nearest the team’s base in Brackley.
2014 saw Nico remaining at Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton, and in a season dominated by the team, leadership of the championship passed between the two – with the media creating plenty of hype about the rivalry between the teammates – before Lewis eventually took the title at the last race of the season. 2015 was a similar season to 2014, with Hamilton winning the title, although there was a late resurgence by Nico. 2016 saw the two drivers remain at Mercedes, and it was Nico’s turn to take the World Championship.
Nico unexpectedly announced his retirement from the sport in December 2016.
There is a list of my various galleries of Formula One drivers here.