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LONDON (Reuters) – Nico Rosberg on Tuesday hailed Lewis Hamilton’s 92nd Formula One victory and sporting longevity as a major achievement, but said the way the Briton was using his platform to raise awareness of global issues it was just as impressive.
The 35-year-olds were teammates and fierce rivals at Mercedes from 2013 until the German won the 2016 title and immediately retired.
Rosberg was also teammates with Michael Schumacher, whose record Hamilton broke in Portugal last Sunday, at Mercedes from 2010-12 after the great Ferrari had returned.
“I have great respect for what he has accomplished,” Rosberg told Reuters after the launch of the Extreme E off-road electric series that begins next year with both men entering the teams.
“It’s one thing to be at the level he’s at, just a phenomenal driver, but then to stay there and year after year to stay at that high level and be the guy to beat every year and still dominate, that’s so difficult.
“It will surely be considered one of the greatest sporting achievements overall, not just in Formula One, in all sports. I can take my hat off to him.”
Rosberg said he was also “super proud” to have beaten someone destined to become the most successful Formula One driver of all time.
The German added that it was impossible to decide between Schumacher and Hamilton in terms of greatness and would put them on an equal footing.
“At the same time, I think it’s really cool how Lewis is using his platform and his conscience to do good in the world. He’s really looking forward, thinking ahead … I have great respect for that as well.” .
“Amid all this craziness of becoming the best of all time in Formula One, he still has the ability to think in the bigger picture and I respect that maybe even more.”
Fierce rivals
Formula One’s only black driver, Hamilton, has been campaigning for racial justice and wearing a Black Lives Matter jersey when he got down on his knees before races.
Last Sunday, in a television interview before the Portuguese Grand Prix, he wore a jersey in protest of police violence in Nigeria.
Vegan, he has spoken out for animal welfare, promoted a more sustainable sport and created a commission to make motorsports more diverse.
Extreme E, a series that aims to highlight the effects of climate change when competing in extreme environments, will be Hamilton’s first adventure as a team owner.
Rosberg said that although neither would drive, they would remain fierce rivals but shared a common sense of purpose.
“I want to be in sustainable racing. I want to be in motorsports, where the platform is used to drive positive change,” said the co-founder of the annual Greentech festival in Berlin.
“That is the most important and crucial element for me, that we are not only entertaining, but we are driving change. We are using the platform to innovate technology, to raise awareness, for example, about climate change.
“It’s great to see Lewis follow in my footsteps on the path to sustainability, which I have already undertaken since my retirement four years ago,” added the German.
Rosberg said that he and Hamilton, his karting teammate when they were 13, would be equally determined to win.
“That’s the beauty of it. Our competitiveness here and our rivalry is actually the catalyst for positive change in this championship,” he said.
“We hope that as a result of the fascinating races, challenges and rivalries, we can raise awareness and have even more impact.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, Editing by Clare Fallon)
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