The 2016 world champion looked back on his association with the German for three years with a surprising anecdote.
Retired from the circuits when he was only 40 years old, Nico Rosberg was invited to testify in the Beyond Victory podcast during which the Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo was also present. The German, 2016 world champion with Mercedes, notably returned to his collaboration for three seasons (2010, 2011 and 2012) with Michael Schumacher, the seven-time world champion who was the victim of a very serious skiing accident in Meribel on December 29, 2013.
Schumacher, the “expert” in psychological pressure
An association facing one of the greatest pilots in history during which psychological warfare was omnipresent. And to not break down in the face of the pressure imposed by his compatriot, Rosberg must have had nerves of steel. “He was a master of psychological manipulation. He was a true expert on the subject. It was innate to him. He didn’t need to think about it.”explains Rosberg in the preamble about «Schumi».
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Keke’s son returned to an anecdote which says a lot about this battle off the track which occurred during qualifying for a Monaco Grand Prix. “There was only one toilet in the garage. He went and I arrived 10 minutes before qualifying started. I knew I didn’t have much time to urinate. I had to go to the bathroom, get in the car and give it my all in qualifying. So I knocked on the door because it was locked.”
But no one answered even though the toilets were indeed occupied. “I knocked and knocked and pounded on the door until I was fed up. And I realized there was someone inside. And that person was Michael Schumacher, leaning against the wall, looking at his watch, knowing he could afford to wait. He had enough time to get in the car, put on his seatbelt and not ruin the team’s strategy for qualifying. He was there, so calm, and I was outside… I was in complete stress, panicking.”said the ex-pilot.
“I ended up grabbing a bucket.”
This stratagem destabilized Nico Rosberg who fortunately ended up finding a disaster solution. “I ended up grabbing a bucket of oil that was lying around and peed in it. I did what I had to do, desperately. But this stress, at a time when it is crucial to be fully focused, affected my performance in qualifying.concluded the German.
