Nico Rosberg says his dad laughed at him when he told him he was investing in Formula E.
But ahead of the sixth season of the series, which kicks off next week, he says that Keke, the 1982 F1 world champion, now can’t stop watching.
Rosberg turned his attention to electric racing after winning the F1 title himself in 2016, as part of his passion for securing a sustainable future.
The ever-growing Formula E series is one of a host of investments he has made in green living – and he now believes it is behind only F1 in world motorsport.
But despite his belief in its potential, he says its biggest critique came from his own home.
(Image: LAT)
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“My father is a complete petrolhead and in the beginning he was laughing at me,” Rosberg said.
“He was like ‘why are you interested in Formula E? Why are you looking at that?’
“Even when I was investing in it, he told me, ‘are you crazy?’ He was laughing at me.
“But one year ago, I caught my dad setting alarm clocks for the time when Formula E starts!
“He watches all the races and has become a fan of the sport as well.
“For me, that is the best barometer, because even the petrolheads love the racing of Formula E and watch it.”
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
For Rosberg, living sustainably is a big part of his life. He has made subtle changes to the way he goes about every day, from buying an electric car for commuting in his home of Monaco, right down to the finer details of not having plastic bottles or straws in the house.
Rosberg is also founder of the Greentech festival, which debuted in Berlin earlier this year, celebrating all kinds of eco-technology achievements.
While he is doing his bit personally, he says Formula E is helping drive the change in a larger picture.
“What I find so awesome about Formula E is the race to road technology transfer,” he said.
(Image: LAT)
(Image: LAT)
“They are developing the electric motors in Formula E that we will all have in our electric cars in two or three years time, or many of the electric components that we have in Formula E.
“That for me is really awesome, as it serves a real purpose to accelerate the smarter technology transition.”
Season six of Formula E kicks off in Saudi Arabia next week, with Mercedes and Porsche joining the most competitive grid in motorsport. Last season, eight different drivers from seven different teams came out on top in the first eight races of the season.
This year, it is the first time in history all four major German manufacturers – with Mercedes and Porsche joining BMW and Audi – compete alongside each other in a series.
(Image: LAT)
“These guys are global players,” Rosberg said. “Nobody can afford to come second, because it is like anti-marketing. Everybody has to win, so to see them all go head-to-head really is epic.
“In terms of motorsport, it has become the second biggest in the world. After Formula One, I think people watch Formula E.
“It is a whole bunch of Formula One drivers that are on the grid now, so the level is really, really high.
(Image: Nissan)
“I don’t see Formula E and Formula One in competition. Formula One remains the pinnacle of motorsport and forever will, it is like the gladiator, high-performance series.
“That is going to remain the case, but I am a big fan of both.”
But could we see Rosberg step out of retirement and join the Formula E series in years to come?
“No, no, no, no, no, no. I’m out,” he chuckles. “No more.”
- Experience the thrill of electric racing at Formula E’s season finale on the 25th and 26th July 2020 at ExCel London. Tickets on sale from 1pm on Friday at www.FIAFormulaE.com/london
- Every race of the 2019/20 Formula E season will be shown on the BBC iPlayer, Red Button and on the BBC Sport website – with races in Rome and Marrakesh on live terrestrial TV.
