Rosberg reveals: 'Mercedes made Hamilton and me pay for the crashes ourselves'

Nico Rosberg has made a remarkable revelation about his time at Mercedes. The 2016 F1 World Champion reveals that he and Lewis Hamilton had to pay for their crashes out of their own pocket as punishment. 

Mercedes forced drivers to pay themselves

In the Business of Sport podcast, Rosberg discussed his time with teammate Hamilton. The two drivers had an intense rivalry during their time together at Mercedes, which eventually had a major impact on their friendship. This rivalry was so intense that even the crashes between them were not without consequences.

After the big crash at the 2016 Barcelona Grand Prix, the drivers had to sign a contract stating that they were now responsible for the costs of their crashes with each other themselves. "We had to sign a contract that from now on, if we crash, no matter whose fault it is, we will pay for the damage," Rosberg told the podcast. This was sometimes a big financial blow for the German. "I remember how much I had to pay, it was £360,000 that I paid for one of those crashes. That was very painful."