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Rosberg: "Hamilton was the best driver this year"

Rosberg: "Hamilton was the best driver this year"

  • Published on 24 Nov 2014 12:03
  • comments 0
  • By: Rob Veenstra
As their fierce rivalry this year came to its zenith on Sunday, Nico Rosberg was notably gracious in defeat. The bullish German had spent the Abu Dhabi weekend firing psychological barbs at Lewis Hamilton, but on Sunday he was beaten off the line by the Briton before technical problems began to strike.

Rosberg and Hamilton, old friends and boyhood karting teammates, have clashed memorably in 2014 as their in-house title battle intensified. But as the non-alcoholic rose water flowed on the podium amid fireworks in the sky, the defeated Rosberg was gracious in defeat. "He (Hamilton) did a little bit of a better job than me in the races this year. Tiny bits that I need to find," he said.

Earlier, although he finished the race just 14th, Rosberg even made his way into the pre-podium room to congratulate his rival, and the pair embraced and shared some of the first words they have uttered to one another for weeks. "He just came into the room, very, very professional," said Hamilton, "and he just said 'fantastic'. He said 'you drove really well'. And the same to him -- all year long he drove incredibly well, especially in qualifying, so hats off to him."

Rosberg also graciously attended Mercedes' post-race team party, even though he said watching the champagne flow for Hamilton was "a bit hard". But the pair once again came face to face, with Rosberg explaining: "I said 'you deserve it'. He was the best driver on the grid this year, and it was a great battle between us. And I race for battles such as this."

Rosberg's disappointment will be compounded on Tuesday when he must return to the cockpit of his recently-malfunctioned car for the post-race Abu Dhabi test. "Right now I have to say that I am not really in the mood for it," he admitted late on Sunday.

Hamilton admitted that their embraces and handshakes may "ease" some of the tension that has characterised their rivalry in 2014. He said: "He was graceful enough to come up to me and see me after, which I really appreciated. It was really big of him to be able to do that. It's very, very tough, I know what it's like losing a championship so, for sure, we'll keep working at it."

Team boss Toto Wolff said he was also happy to see how gracious Rosberg was in defeat. "The most emotional I felt today was when I saw Nico going up to congratulate him," he told German television. "That's outstanding by Nico because I know the discussions we had after Spa, where the relationship was exactly the opposite. So I'm very happy for both of them because it needed Lewis to accept Nico's congratulations," he added. "It probably would have been exactly the same the other way around," Wolff told the RTL broadcaster. "For us it is great that we have two such great sportsmen in the team." (GMM)
F1 News Lewis Hamilton Nico Rosberg Mercedes

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World Championship standings 2023

Pos
Team
Points
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Red Bull Racing
860
2
Mercedes
409
3
Ferrari
406
4
McLaren
302
5
Aston Martin
280
6
Alpine F1
120
7
Williams
28
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Alpha Tauri
25
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Alfa Romeo Racing
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Haas F1
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2023

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
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Bahrain
3 - Mar 5
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Mar 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
31 - Apr 2
Australia
Albert Park
28 - Apr 30
Azerbaijan
Baku City Circuit
5 - May 7
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
19 - May 21
Italy
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26 - May 28
Monaco
Monte Carlo
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Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
16 - Jun 18
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
30 - Jul 2
Austria
Red Bull Ring
7 - Jul 9
United Kingdom
Silverstone
21 - Jul 23
Hungary
Hungaroring
28 - Jul 30
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
25 - Aug 27
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
1 - Sep 3
Italy
Monza
15 - Sep 17
Singapore
Marina Bay Street Circuit
22 - Sep 24
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
6 - Oct 8
Qatar
Losail International Circuit
20 - Oct 22
United States of America
Circuit of the Americas
27 - Oct 29
Mexico
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
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Spain
3 - Nov 5
Brazil
Interlagos
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United States of America
Las Vegas Street Circuit
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United Arab Emirates
Yas Marina Circuit
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Italy
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Italy
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Italy
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2023

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
3 - Mar 5
Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Mar 19
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
31 - Apr 2
Australia Albert Park
28 - Apr 30
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
5 - May 7
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
19 - May 21
Italy Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
26 - May 28
Monaco Monte Carlo
2 - Jun 4
Spain Circuit de Catalunya
16 - Jun 18
Canada Gilles Villeneuve
30 - Jul 2
Austria Red Bull Ring
7 - Jul 9
United Kingdom Silverstone
21 - Jul 23
Hungary Hungaroring
28 - Jul 30
Belgium Spa-Francorchamps
25 - Aug 27
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
1 - Sep 3
Italy Monza
15 - Sep 17
Singapore Marina Bay Street Circuit
22 - Sep 24
Japan Circuit Suzuka
6 - Oct 8
Qatar Losail International Circuit
20 - Oct 22
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
27 - Oct 29
Mexico Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
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Spain Circuit de Catalunya
3 - Nov 5
Brazil Interlagos
17 - Nov 19
United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
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Italy Adria International Raceway
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Driver profile

GB Lewis Hamilton 44
Lewis Hamilton
  • Team Mercedes
  • Points 3,154
  • Podiums 127
  • Grand Prix 184
  • Country GB
  • Date of b. Jan 7 1985 (38)
  • Place of b. Tewin, GB
  • Weight 68 kg
  • Length 1.74 m
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Mercedes
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