Rosberg gets some Lauda Therapy in Ibiza

The Mercedes driver’s summer holidays couldn’t be more different. Hamilton is off in Barbados, doing whatever it is that makes GQ or the elite 20-something demographic say, “Yah, that’s like, Totes Awesome”. Rosberg on the other hand, is regathering his thoughts at his wife’s ice-cream parlour whilst Niki Lauda comes to stay.

If F1 was a sitcom, surely the opening scene to the summer break episode would be Niki Lauda and Nico Rosberg having a reflective chinwag over a few scoops of Neopolitan?

Lauda has been to visit Rosberg and his family in Ibiza before, and another trip looks to be on the cards. The F1 legend said,

“We will talk with him and discuss the problem. He must again believe in himself, and then he will be a problem for Lewis once again,”

-Niki Lauda

As Lauda is a non-exec at Mercedes, he’s entitled to do what he wishes with his free time, even if that time is spent supporting one Mercedes driver and not the other. If Hamilton was suffering, like he did at the start of 2015 with engine attrition, Lauda was there to help the Brit too.

Rosberg feels that his fall from the top of the driver standings will only spur him to higher levels of performance. He said,

“Lewis has not only showed he is strong lately – he was always strong. I’m disappointed with Hockenheim, as I did a great qualifying and on Friday I had good pace on the long runs. It’s just a shame everything went wrong in the race.

But I have enough examples from the past that show I always get stronger after a setback — again and again. So there is no problem.”

– Nico Rosberg