The Inside Line - on Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg 17 Jul 2012
He’s a German who lives in Monaco; his father won the 1982 world championship; he’s driven for Williams and Mercedes; and during his seven seasons on the Formula One grid he’s scored one win, seven podiums, one pole position and 381.5 points. These are just some of the things you probably do know about Nico Rosberg. But there’s plenty more to discover, not least the 27 year-old’s love of ice cream, Ibiza and parental advice…
Q: What keeps you awake at night?
Nico Rosberg: The fear of arriving late for the start of a race.
Q: If you could banish one thing from your life - for the rest of your life - what would that be?
NR: Some embarrassing moments that I have had in my life. But I wouldn’t tell you about them! (laughs)
Q: What’s been your most valuable ‘life’ lesson?
NR: You always meet people twice in life. This has been true several times for me and I picked it up from Frank Williams as he split with BMW some years ago.
Q: What do you admire?
NR: Great people-management qualities, like those of (Mercedes team principal) Ross Brawn.
Q: If you could give your younger self some advice what would it be?
NR: To listen to my parents when they give me advice. I recommend this to all the youngsters out there.
Q: If your racing career ended after this season what would you do with the rest of your life?
NR: I’d begin to manage my savings. Then I would probably do some triathlon races and spend time with my family and friends.
Q: What animal would you most like to be?
NR: The eagle. To see the world from a paramount perspective would be quite something.
Q: What is more important in life than winning?
NR: Good health.
Q: What would you spend your last dollar on?
NR: An ice cream. A scoop of vanilla ice cream to be precise!
Q: What is your greatest weakness?
NR: Ice cream.
Q: What is your favourite smell?
NR: Vanilla
Q: What’s your ultimate comfort food?
NR: Spaghetti Bolognese alla Vincent in my motorhome.
Q: What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a race?
NR: I exhale, sit in the kitchen and eat fast food.
Q: What scares you?
NR: Nothing really. I’m not a scaredy-cat! (laughs)
Q: When were you happiest?
NR: The day I met my girlfriend Vivian for the first time.
Q: What’s the best advice you have been given?
NR: That the grass is not greener on the other side. (laughs)
Q: If you had to stay in one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?
NR: Ibiza. I have known this place since I was a kid and I still love it.
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