Nico Rosberg says his once-intense feud with Lewis Hamilton is now a thing of the past.
During their time as Mercedes teammates from 2013 to 2016, the childhood friends turned bitter rivals as they fought for championships. Their relationship soured badly, culminating in Rosberg beating Hamilton to the 2016 title before immediately retiring from Formula 1.
Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 world champion, recently suggested Rosberg is an example of a driver who is happier in retirement than he was racing.
"Take Nico Rosberg, he was happier not racing. That's just not the same level of passion," Villeneuve said.
Now 39, Rosberg appeared on the NDR Talk Show, where he revealed that he and Hamilton have rekindled a cordial relationship—thanks in part to Nico's daughters.
"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," he laughed, "but he can leave presents!"
Meanwhile, well-known motorsport artist Paul Oz revealed that Hamilton commissioned a custom painting of himself driving a Mercedes F1 car as a personal farewell gift to the team.
Each of Mercedes' 1000-plus employees received a limited-edition copy, while the original hangs in Brackley.
"No copies will be available for commercial sale, sorry," Oz confirmed.
