2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg has revealed that he was “seriously angry” after losing out on victory at the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix to Lewis Hamilton, in what was dubbed the ‘Duel in the Desert’.
The 2014 Bahrain GP was the third race in the new hybrid era of F1, with Mercedes having been superior.
As a result, Hamilton and Rosberg often did battle, with Bahrain having been no different.
On that occasion, it was the seven-time World Champion who was victorious, following an unbelievable battle with the German.
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At the time, Rosberg seemed happy about the duel and said that it was the “most fun” he’d ever had in F1, something he now admits wasn’t the truth.
Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, the ex-Mercedes driver admitted that losing the Bahrain duel to Hamilton actually left him “seriously angry and seriously hurt”.
“I remember myself in Bahrain,” Rosberg told the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
“I said after the race ‘wow, that was the most fun I’ve ever had in a racing car.’ But actually the truth was that was the most far from the truth possible.
“Because the truth was I was seriously angry and seriously hurt from finishing second to Lewis and it was zero fun.
“As race drivers, we always have to be a bit Hollywood. You can’t always say the truth obviously because it’s going to backfire otherwise.”
Rosberg was discussing this amid Charles Leclerc’s odd response to losing to Carlos Sainz at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, leaving the Monegasque to finish in fourth.
Sainz and Leclerc jostled at Ferrari’s home race for the final spot on the podium, which Sainz claimed.
Leclerc seemed delighted for Sainz, although Rosberg initially questioned if the 25-year-old’s response on camera was real.
He actually thinks Leclerc was being “pretty genuine” in his delight for Sainz, making Rosberg think that the Ferrari star is a “little bit too nice”.
Rosberg said: “I was watching Charles, he just had got beaten by his teammate who also ran him off the track once. Charles is sitting there and saying ‘yeah, that was super fun. Happy days, having a beer with Carlos.’
“And I was like ‘Is this now genuine? Or is he pulling a Nico you know?’ And saying the complete opposite of what he’s feeling.
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“But I think it was pretty genuine. In which case I was thinking [it seems he is] a little bit too nice guy somehow.
“Because, [he lost out] already on the strategy. He lost out the day before by allowing the team to give Carlos the slipstream twice in the end of qualifying rather than it being split.
“It should have been one person first run the other person the second run and yet he allowed Carlos to have double slipstream in the qualifying already.
“So I’m not sure. Maybe he’s just a super nice guy but that would be a little bit too nice.”