When Schumi played F1 'mindgames' with Nico Rosberg by locking himself in the solitary toilet
Rosberg rewinds to a trick played by the German champ Schumacher.
By ET Bureau |
Agencies
Michael's former teammate at Mercedes, Nico Rosberg, revealed a trick from the legendary German’s playbook recently.
Seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher was not only the fastest guy on the track, but he was also the most cunning. His former teammate at Mercedes, Nico Rosberg, revealed a trick from the legendary German’s playbook recently, calling him “Mr Mindgames”.
“There’s only one toilet in the garage, and with 10 minutes for qualifying, I have time for the last pee before jumping into the car,” Rosberg recalled recently, while on a F1 podcast.
Nico Rosberg, Mick Schumacher, son of Michael Schumacher, Hugo Ronan Hakkinen and Mika Hakkinen pose for photographs ahead the 'Champions for charity' football match between Nowitzki All Stars and Nazionale Piloti in honor of Michael Schumacher at Opel Arena.
Except, Schumacher had already locked himself in that solitary toilet. “Michael [was] in the toilet, and he knew that as long as he made it out with three minutes to go, he could just about jump in the car, put the seatbelts on, and go before losing actual time and ruining the whole team strategy,” Rosberg said.
With no option, the younger racer had to use an old oil bucket lying in the shed. “I managed to do what I needed to, but the panic had an impact on my qualifying,” he said.
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