Rosberg says Hamilton 'feud' is now over

Feb.5 (GMM) Nico Rosberg says his past “feud” with Lewis Hamilton is now basically all in the past.

When teammates between 2013 and 2016 amid Mercedes’ domination of Formula 1, the former boyhood friends fell out badly and for years were not on speaking terms.

Rosberg, now 39, retired from F1 after beating Hamilton to the 2016 title. Jacques Villeneuve thinks the German is an example of a driver who is happier in retirement.

“Take Nico Rosberg, he was happier not racing. That’s just not the same level of passion,” said the 1997 world champion, comparing Rosberg with Hamilton.

Appearing on the NDR Talk Show, Rosberg revealed that Hamilton now showers his daughters with presents each Christmas. The pair live close to one another in Monaco.

“It’s true that my daughters are fans of Lewis. It’s a big problem!” Rosberg joked. “He always gives them presents at Christmas – usually Barbies. It’s very nice of him.

“It’s actually really cool. We used to have a bit of a feud, but now every Christmas both of our daughters have huge boxes of presents at their door. Lewis has to stay outside,” Rosberg joked again, “but he can leave presents!”

Meanwhile, well-known artist Paul Oz revealed that Hamilton commissioned a painting of himself driving a Mercedes F1 car that he then had copied on a limited basis as a parting gift to the team’s more than 1000 staff.

“The original hangs in Brackley,” Oz confirmed. “No copies will be available for commercial sale, sorry.”