Overview
- In a Der Spiegel interview published this October, Nico Rosberg said Michael Schumacher’s signing at Mercedes in 2010 shocked him and left him fearing for his future.
- Rosberg recalled that his father Keke immediately urged him to quit Mercedes, saying, “Get out of there as quickly as possible.”
- He described feeling ignored at a pre‑season strategy meeting in Bahrain where engineers first discussed Schumacher’s plan and then explained Rosberg’s plan to Schumacher.
- Despite the internal imbalance, Rosberg finished ahead of Schumacher in the drivers’ championship in each of their three seasons as teammates.
- Rosberg traced his father’s warning to Keke’s 1994 experience managing JJ Lehto at Benetton, where Schumacher reportedly centralized team decision making and excluded his teammate.