Louder, Please! 🥹

Oh Nico, the man that u are 🥹🫶🏻

Formula BMW engineer in interview: What makes Nico Rosberg tick

By Christian Nimmervoll, originally written 27 June 2015 for motorsport-total.com (x)

Between VIVA and Keke: Peter Sieber worked with Nico Rosberg when he wasn't yet a Formula 1 star and remembers the 2002 season in Formula BMW.

Many people have the wrong impression of Nico Rosberg. He comes across as effeminate, pseudo-intellectual, aloof. But envy is something you have to fight for - and level only looks like arrogance from below (to quote some Facebook wisdom). In fact, the Wiesbaden native, who grew up as the son of Finnish Formula 1 champion Keke Rosberg and a German mother, is a well-bred, smart young man who speaks five languages, happens to be an excellent racer, and earns millions doing it.

What's still missing is the world championship title. With his victory at the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, Rosberg proved that he shouldn't be written off even when his back is supposedly against the wall - there's life in the old dog yet. And in doing so, he gave himself an early birthday present: Today, June 27, the Mercedes driver turns 30 - and is presumably in the prime of his Formula 1 career.

Reason enough for us to talk to a man who not only knows the superstar Nico Rosberg, but also worked with the up-and-coming driver Nico Rosberg when he first came to Formula BMW from karting - and won it outright, as the very first champion of the then new series in 2002. Peter Sieber was hired as race engineer for the world champion's son - and taught him the basics of racing.

Getting to know about Arno Zensen

Question: "Mr. Sieber, how did you meet Keke and Nico Rosberg?"

Peter Sieber: "That went through Arno Zensen, now head of the Rosberg team in the DTM. Arno used to work for Walter Lechner, and we've known each other ever since. Franz Tost was also involved at the time, who is now the boss of Toro Rosso. At the time, they had a South African race engineer at Team Rosberg in Formula BMW who had to go back home. So they asked me if I would like to be Nico's race engineer."

Question: "Can you still remember the very first time you met Nico?"

Sieber: "I had seen him at tests before, when we hadn't worked together yet. My first impression was of a very likeable and well-mannered young guy. In all my years in motorsport, I've noticed one thing: Drivers who have what it takes, who have the potential to make it to the top, don't say anything loud, don't argue, but are professional even at a young age. That was the case with Nico from the very first moment."

"I was a bit scared with him: father Keke Rosberg, Formula 1 world champion, enough money. There are always these father-son stories when the father wants the career more than the son. But that wasn't the case. In terms of people skills, I learned a lot from Keke, namely from the way he dealt with his own son. Nico was always very interested, especially in technology. That's where he always wanted to know what was going on, everywhere."

Question: "They say that Nico was an intelligent student who, if racing hadn't worked out, would have studied aerodynamics or mechanical engineering. When they worked with him, he was still at school."

Sieber: "That's true. The others always said: 'Sure, that's Rosberg's boy, he can test the most and has the best material'. But in truth that wasn't quite the case, because dear Nico had just graduated from high school. So he skipped some tests, which I then had to drive with Kimmo Liimatainen, now team manager at the Rosberg team in the DTM. Because Nico didn't have time."

"Nico didn't have it easy. When he was good, everyone said, 'Sure, I can do it with these prerequisites. And when he wasn't good, they said: 'He's just Rosberg's son, he doesn't have his dad's talent. But Nico didn't want anything as a gift, he wanted to fight for everything. He worked his ass off to achieve that. I was captivated by him right from the start. I always tried to create the best conditions for him."

Spoiled millionaire's son my ass

Question: "Lewis Hamilton said in the 2014 World Championship battle that Nico has always been a spoiled millionaire's boy, while he himself had to work hard for everything. If I'm interpreting you correctly, you don't agree with that at all?"

Sieber: "No. Keke and Nico's mother, Sina, have a very special attitude; they're not aloof people. When we had stopped working together, and Nico later won his first Formula 3 race, Sina still came up to me afterwards and gave me a hug."

"I say to her, 'Sina, I had nothing to do with that, it was Erich.' Erich Baumgärtner, a friend of mine who was Nico's race engineer in Formula 3. But Sina to me: 'No, Peter, I mean it, because you did the dirty work.' That was a statement for me! The first year is always the most difficult - that's when you have to teach a driver style, technique, work ethic. It wasn't easy, but with Nico it was really fun."

Question: "What does learning style and technique mean? You're hardly going to have ridden in front of Nico like an instructor…"

Sieber: "A young driver makes his first statements at the beginning, and as a race engineer I have to filter out the most important ones right away. Many say eight to ten problems at once, from which I then filter out the main problem. Because when the main problem is solved, the smaller problems usually dissolve as well. Then I see on the data: 'You need to brake earlier, but come out of the curve with more momentum.' Those are the first fundamentals you work on with a young driver."

"A young driver can only tell you about the car if you explain to him beforehand what's important. Nico soaked it all up like a sponge, he fought every second. From home he had the opportunity to race, car, engine, team - others may not be able to afford that. But his driving skills and assertiveness, he fought hard for all of that. Whether it was dry or wet, he was always really good."

Like Father, Like Son

Question: "Nico's former kart team boss Dino Chiesa once said that Nico didn't get a PlayStation game from Keke that he really wanted, and that he also got relatively little pocket money. Which suggests that he felt relatively little of his family's wealth at the time, and was also just a young racer like any other."

Sieber: "I've known Keke for a long time. I can still remember that back then, as a junior driver, he always came to the race track with a trailer and bus. Keke learned to work his way up from the bottom. And he passed that on to Nico for his development."

"I remember the Formula BMW race at the Sachsenring. Officially, testing was banned, but others tested anyway. Our weekend went really poorly. The engineer was not good, the car was not good, the driver was not good. It was a pitch-black weekend, with spins and everything."

"Then Keke arrives, with a cigar in his mouth - and grins at me, who has such a blood pressure you can see my carotid artery: 'Peter, it's going to be all right.' And I: 'Were you in the wrong movie? What I saw was a disaster.' And Keke: 'What I saw is going to be fine.' Because you two are determined to make it together, and it's going to bear fruit.' At first I couldn't do anything with that, but then we improved from race to race."

"At the beginning, it was difficult to work together because I hadn't done all the official tests and first had to get to know the car and Nico. But then we worked our way up and became champions in the end. That season we had a test day at the Nürburgring before the race. I changed the gear ratio then, which is normally done by the mechanic. But there was no time for that because of the rain. And I mistakenly swapped fifth and sixth gear. In other words, where fifth gear should have been, sixth was - and vice versa."

"Nico drove out, came back to the pits very slowly and said with a smile on his face - with a smile, not kind of angry like others would be: 'Master, how do you actually count? One, two, three, four, five, six.' And I said to him: 'But you're doing your school-leaving exams right now, you'll manage that!' So he had to change gears stupidly, skip a gear with the clutch in the sequential gearbox, but he didn't care. The next morning I found a note on the transmission: 'Love from Nico, please put the gears in the right order!' That was Nico. That's the kind of person you live motorsport for."

Criticism always constructive

Question: "Were there also situations in which Nico could get loud?"

Sieber: "No, and that was the nice thing about working with him. If something wasn't okay, it was discussed, but not loudly or in an argument, but positively. He asked questions, contributed good ideas, and the collaboration got better and better. He worked hard for his success."

Question: "Nico already had the sponsor VIVA in 2002, in Formula BMW - and therefore had a lot of media presence earlier than other drivers. Was that an advantage or a disadvantage?"

Sieber: "People were already very attentive: son of Keke Rosberg, VIVA, very well-known among the youth. The hype was sometimes too much."

Question: "Girls, too?"

Sieber: "The girls raved about him anyway. But he didn't care. Nico did his stuff."

Question: "You can't tell me that Nico didn't have a girl at the start now and then…"

Sieber: "No, not at all, really! He wasn't the typical girl hero. Sometimes they are, and then they usually forget that racing should be the most important thing. That wasn't the case with Nico. He was focused and really never had a girl with him. It wasn't until the end of 2002 that I remember there being one - and I think that was his current wife Vivian."

Question: "In 2003, Nico met Lewis Hamilton again in Formula 3. Was it already foreseeable for you back then that this duel would continue into Formula 1?"

Sieber: "In Formula 3, Nico had a different race engineer, but that was a good acquaintance of mine, so I always knew what was going on with him. When we met at the race track, we always chatted. By the way, the contact hasn't completely broken off to this day."

"And yes, for me it was already foreseeable that this could go into Formula 1, because Nico simply has a very special way. He didn't have it as easy as Hamilton claims, as a spoiled boy who gets everything dumped in his lap. Our last race in Formula BMW in 2002 was at Hockenheim. Nico won, both races, in the rain and in the dry. Afterwards, there was the award ceremony for ADAC and BMW. Keke didn't go at all, but his mom, a few mechanics and I did."

Tears at Formula BMW victory ceremony 2002

"Nico had a knitted cap on, I remember it like yesterday. Then they called him up and said they had another 'little' present for him. I wonder what that will be? A Formula 1 test drive at Williams! That's when he really broke down, sat down, put his hands in front of his eyes and cried. He was so happy at that moment because he was so disciplined, he did without so much. That's very difficult for a young lad."

"And: He himself had done it - not because he was Keke Rosberg's son, but because he was the first Formula BMW champion. That's when I realized what racing meant to him. I still remember that day today as if it were yesterday - it has stuck in my heart. He said: 'It was always my dream to drive Formula 1 one day. That's what I've worked for.' That was an honest moment. As honest as Nico is."

Question: "Do you think it sometimes hurt Nico to be reduced to Keke Rosberg's son? Did that get to him?"

Sieber: "I think it was close to him. As I said before, if he was good, then it was the good material, but if not, then he's just Rosberg's son, but not as good as Keke. But Keke always stood behind him and told him: 'Nico, you have the greatest job in the world, you are a racing driver. People are all coming here to see your race. Enjoy it and have fun.'"

"And so he took all the pressure off the kid. That was awesome. That was Keke. People were brutal to Nico sometimes. When all he ever wanted was for them to just respect that he was doing his job, that he was doing everything he could to get into Formula One, and that he had talent. The Rosberg name was very positive for Nico, but on the other hand it didn't make it easy for him either.

Question: "It doesn't sound like Keke interfered much with Nico.

Sieber: "No. He left us alone. If he saw something that the competition was doing, for example, he told me, but without interfering. He would say, 'You can worry about that.' That was it, but then he was gone again."

Always looked up to father Keke

Question: "Nico's former karting team boss Dino Chiesa says that it was always important for Nico to once be as good as or better than Keke. Is that true in your opinion?"

Sieber: "He always looked up to his father, because Keke achieved a lot and was a driving force for Nico. But Nico was self-motivated enough to go this way and achieve something himself. He was looking in the right direction, he fought for it. Nico was an intelligent young man for his age. Of course, he sometimes took his cue from his father."

Question: "Were there ever moments when Nico cried to you about Keke?"

Sieber: "No, never. I admire the way Keke handled his boy. Keke always managed to motivate us all. In a positive sense, he was a gangster! It's okay to write that, I mean it in a positive way. Once he came to see me at the Nürburgring, Formula 1 weekend, and Nico had finished third in Formula BMW on Saturday. The conditions were difficult, race started in the rain, then it dried up."

"Keke comes up to me afterwards and is really happy about third place, but in the same breath says, 'We're not good enough, the others are better!' Inside I was boiling. That's when he lit a spark in me, so that even in the hotel I was still thinking about the car. And then we won on Sunday. Grins Keke: 'Oh, did it work?' Motivating his people, Keke always understood that."

Question: "Mr. Sieber, is there anything else you would like to add?"

Sieber: "Yes, two things. First, my son has a problem with his spine. I told Nico about it once in passing, and he said to me, 'Hey, my physio Daniel, he also had a back operation. I'll put you in touch with him, I'm sure he can recommend a good specialist. And that's what he did. He wouldn't have to do something like that - others don't."

"And another story: For the 2002 championship title, he got the Formula 1 test that Keke and Nico wanted to take me to. Unfortunately, my son was ill and I had to stay at home with a heavy heart. So they sent me a video after the test and talked to me live on the phone during the test. And Nico gave me his helmet, with which he became Formula BMW champion and tested Formula 1 for the first time, as a small consolation. That's just the way Nico is.

Question: "Will you wish him a happy 30th birthday?"

Sieber: "Yes, for sure. I'll think of something! We still see each other from time to time. Last year, for example, he invited me to the German Grand Prix."

I understand Ferrari's pr strategy of never blaming the team publicly because why would you throw a team that's already under constant scrutiny under the bus in front of the media that is always waiting for a chance to shit on Ferrari. The british media hates Ferrari. They hate that the most successful team in f1 is not british. Any mistake Ferrari makes is magnified 10x more than any other team.

Zandvoort last year. Both Perez and Charles had a slow stop. I saw 50 different angles of Charles' stop on the broadcast that ultimately meant nothing because he had floor damage. No mention of Perez

Silverstone. Miscommunication between the team and Charles. But Perez also went on inters at the same time. No mention of Red Bull and Perez. Ferrari bad

This year, Mclaren has constantly made bad decisions on the pitwall. If that was Ferrari, the british media would be out with pitchforks. You can shit on our development and car, but Mclaren have consistently had the fastest car since Imola and they have 1 win to show for it.

Last year Ferrari had the best development in season. This year it hasn't worked out, possibly because of a bad suspension. But Red Bull's development has stalled too and there's zero mention of that.

Ferrari hasn't won anything since 2008. Neither has Mclaren. The second most successful team in F1. Mclaren has 3 wins since 2012. The team that at one point was equal with Ferrari on wins.

Of course I want my team to do better and be on top, but this is getting a little annoying now

They say Ferrari is a religion, but what they fail to mention is - you chose it because you believe it, because there’s someone making you believe in it.

I don't think people realise how 'cinemantic' and 'match made in heaven' the Ferrari team was. I hated how Charles spoke about Carlos after Spanish GP, but then after the Williams announcement, after weeks of settling into it - I can't imagine how Charles' processing. I'm assuming they were called the dream team - I'm assuing Carlos assumed this was it. He was home. He loved the team, and the team loved him. And it was family. He bought a home in Maranello. He gave up Monaco and his friends and luxury and tax benefits to make sure his team gets back on top. And then carpet pulled, dreams shattered. The first thing he did was move to Monaco. And I think Charles doesn't know how to process that he's leaving. That Carlos won't be there next season. Their girlfriends (exes or current) won't be hanging out - a family of sorts.

He hopes it can be like Carlando. That even after their team mate era they'll be close friends, but I think he knows its different. Mclaren to Carlos was different. Ferrari might have been the dream team to Carlos, but Mclaren was family. Fred isn't Zac, Mclaren isn't Ferrari, and Charles won't ever be to Carlos what Lando is. So he tries with his future teammate - dog dates and parade ride convos. But you can feel he's sick to his stomach thinking about Carlos not being his teammate. You can tell from the first set of interviews. And you can also tell Carlos doesn't try anymore. He doesn't/isn't supposed to help develop the car or strategy. He's moving on. And the magic is dissappearing - we can tell. You can tell. I can tell. Hell, puma motorospot commenting the same on instagram can tell. So maybe he's pushing Carlos away a little. Trying to get that magic to shine on him. But it's disappearing, and people can see Carlos. Bright-eyed. Wronged. And everyone's rooting for him and everyones rallying for him. And anyone who isn't part of the Tifosi, want Carlos to shine. And even a few Tifosi are shedding their red for blue for Carlos, the man from Spain who tried and tried and loved. There's a deep rooted loyalty to him now. Because he's relatable or his situation is relatable - we can do everything right and still be wronged. Carlos doing well means hope - hope we can rise in our lives, hope we can get out of bad situations, hope that not getting what we wanted so desperately still means better opportunity. So people will root for him - deeper and more loyal and more intense. A story about tragedy, betrayal and redemption - and we know how much we love that arc.

So we hope Carlos Sainz shines where he goes. We collectively hope for dream come trues and epic retribution for him.

But sadly we also know that, that means-

When Carlos leaves Ferrari - the magic and glory and hope is going to follow with him.

Excerpts from a lovely article in The Athletic by The New York Times: “Ferrari’s prestige lured Lewis Hamilton – and cost Carlos Sainz his seat”

Part 1/2: “A ‘Smooth Operator’”

…Only as the details emerged and fandoms reacted to the news on social media, Carlos Sainz became collateral damage and was left to grapple with the harsh truth: he had become Ferrari’s third choice driver for the future despite achieving something no other non-Red Bull driver could in 2023: Win.

…Sainz spoiled Red Bull’s perfect season with a win in Singapore, but as many fans will recall, it wasn’t a runaway. The Spaniard started on pole but needed to switch up his strategy. In a calculated move, he kept former McLaren teammate Lando Norris within DRS range — a counterintuitive move that helped Norris fend off the chasing Mercedes duo of George Russell and Hamilton.

Sainz needed to slow down enough to keep Norris within range but be fast enough to not allow the McLaren to overtake him. It’s more difficult than it sounds, and it’s the kind of strategic maneuver that showcases Sainz’s talent.

…Over the course of his F1 career, Sainz has become known for his methodical approach, calm attitude and thoughtful feedback. He’s been consistent each step of the way, leveling up his game and adapting to a team’s environment. Looking back on his (so far) three-year stint at Ferrari, his journey has been marked with highs and lows. He outscored Leclerc in year one, but the Monegasque outqualified and beat Sainz in year two. Come 2023, the Spaniard struggled during the first half of the season but was consistent. He found his groove after the summer break and led Leclerc heading into the Singapore GP weekend. Leclerc ultimately finished the year six points ahead of Sainz, who recorded a DNF in Abu Dhabi.

It’s not a subpar performance. Leclerc and Sainz created one of the strongest, most complete pairings on the grid. The pressure of being a Ferrari driver is widely known as everyone scrutinizes the team, and Sainz consistently was competitive against his teammate, sometimes being the stronger Prancing Horse driver.

See Part 2: “The Next Chapter”

#reach out babe come on #hold that hand face each other #at this point all interaction between the two are a big deal 😭

We. Must. Always. Touch.

Inevitable and everlasting ❤️🧡

i think the thing about carlos and lando that pushes things into focus is how they speak about each other, to each other, how comfortable they are when one of them is suddenly around. it feels so surreal because of who they are; carlos, in his late twenties, driver with maybe the most confident and guarded personality i have ever encountered and lando, in his early twenties, driver that is somewhat anxious and really outgoing which culminated in the who they are today.

like don’t forget how depressed carlos was before he met the kid, he was stupidly released from his red bull contract after being loaned off to renault for a year, some of the best racing in the sport at the time being straight up ignored and given a one-off chance by mclaren. like lando was in the mcl young driver program while he was still at carlin, he had the reins in a way even if he was a rookie. fernando left it to him but he wasn’t arrogant about it.

lando can be sometimes but he wasn’t with carlos. he worked with him and carlos saw a friend in him, he could have battered the kid that first year but in choosing the team, he chose lando. he could’ve been threatened, either of them, but they stuck it out with each other. i think that’s what fucks everybody up. we never were close to winning the championship that year but fuck sake, that fourth place really had us feeling like champions after all of it.

that’s why brazil means so much to me. between it being lando’s birthday that year and carlos first podium, i felt like they’d given a little piece of their selves to each other. like i can’t be the authority of what a best friend is, what a teammate is or what a partner is but no one can ever say to me that carlos sainz jr doesn’t absolutely, with every fiber of his being trust lando norris; in the same way lando can’t forget it and how carlos thinks of him, how he keeps repaying it over and over again.

his nineteen year old self still so fucking chuffed that his teammate thinks he’s good at what he does and keeps telling him, keeps passing him praise and reassurance in a way no other teammate has. and so now twenty three years old, carlos sainz jr looks at him and lando norris feels like a teenager again. one that will be worthy of his support. lando still doesn’t understand carlos has believed in him since they’ve fucking met. since snowy first day in england.

carlos can’t speak and utter the words, “it isn’t the driving that makes me like you so much, i just do because i have for so long and it has everything to do with the fact of who you are. that you had me laugh when i was ready to give up, that you listened when i spoke and you let me help. and we flourished.”

carlos sainz jr refuses to say the words, “i love you (irrevocably and irrationally) and i (know) don’t think it’s possible for me to stop” and lando norris doesn’t reply “yeah, but i don’t need you to say (i’d fall apart where you stood) anything, i just (beg) ask that you stick around (for me), so i can show you that i worship you (like a man of God) in every other possible way. (i love you back) alright?” so, they tie themselves together with twine, stems and ribbon.

Sainz Sr. spoke about Lando to skysports and it’s so sweet 🥲

"He's, first of all, a super driver, and, more important, he's a nice person - it is a pleasure always to spend time with him, to play golf with him.

"I know he's a good friend of Carlos, and in that circle, I am a little bit closer to him - he's a super guy and super intelligent.

"He's, for sure, one of the best drivers out there, and it is just a matter of time [before he takes victory], and I'm sure when it comes [the opportunity], he will grab it, and it will be great for him and all the fans."

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/12964357/carlos-sainz-sr-lando-norris-first-formula-1-grand-prix-win-is-a-matter-of-time

🥹🥹🥹 Thank you for sharing with me!

Let me tell u the difference between Max Verstappen, a WDC, and an alleged championship worthy driver.

Max Verstappen will tell you what he say or want to say in front of u, in the car, through the radio, behind u. A certain championship worthy driver says things at the radio, on the media, and then, once everyone is on it, sweep it under the rug, make it seem like it didn’t happen, or if it did, then it’s out of his hands, that it wasn’t what he meant.

Max disregards team orders when he deems them to be wrong and any result he gets from it is his alone. A certain someone disregards team orders, when he does well, it’s because he had every right to act for himself, when he mess up, it’s the team’s fault. When he follows team orders, and got good results, fine; when he follows and he doesn’t get what he wants, he’s this poor, wronged, loyal driver. God forbid if his teammate does it, he was apparently being favored!

Max is a teammate killer. He outshines them so much to the point that they don’t last on the team, some even going to other motosports. A certain someone is an alleged dominant teammate, so dominant he prevailed against stronger teammates, he’s unbeatable, he’s the future, he’s perfect. And yet, one race of getting outshone, and he’s crying, he’s tattling, he’s a victim.

Max is the devil, he’s dangerous, he pulls of moves that endangers others. Well, better than the beatific saint who can do no wrong, right? The one who lets out disparaging remarks and once the hate piles on, wash his hands off of it.

Lastly, Max is a WDC who built the team he’s in. The certain someone was being built by his team who only ever lives off of their team legacy, off the accolades, off the achievements long gone. A team who derives its confidence from all the WDC’s they hire only to give them with nothing afterwards. WDC’s long past their primes, beaten by their golden boy in points, and suddenly they’re worthless, suddenly they don’t live up to the team’s standards. And their golden boy? He’s good, fantastic, marvelous, a WDC in a making. 😌

Think what u want of the other’s identity, but never ever disparage any other driver as unworthy especially if your standards is a certain someone.

@raikkoberg, for our research purpose 💅🏻

what do you MEAN lando is out to dinner with carlos’s friends and family to celebrate his win and their 1-2 wHAT DO YOU MEEEEAN

source: carlossainz55 (instagram)

I’m reading your call yet again… but I just saw you replied to my ask in feb! But yesss I’m patiently waiting and hooked for when you update next! Thanks pookie you’re awesome!!

Hiii, update's out! Hope to hear from you through the comments or even in here! 🤗🥰