Rosberg honest: 'I locked myself in a hotel room'

Lewis Hamilton has won no less than six world championships in the last seven years. In 2016, after a tough battle, he had to concede the top prize to his teammate Nico Rosberg. The German still looks back on that moment with great pleasure.

Rosberg had long held out hope that he could beat Hamilton, but he always failed to put it into practice. Until 2016, when he suddenly made things difficult for Hamilton. "I lost to Lewis three years in a row. And it was so painful, the last time. I locked myself in a hotel room, and I reminded myself to push, push, push like hell. It just enhanced my motivation, my focus," the former driver told The Times.

However, the German driver remembers well that the lead over Hamilton was not large, so he had to stay sharp until the last race. "2016 went to the wire, to the last corner. It couldn’t have been more intense, and winning against Lewis, in the same car, after having struggled against him for decades? It was just so perfect."

Hamilton battles with Verstappen

Hamilton has a formidable opponent in Max Verstappen this season. The Briton is currently eight points ahead in the world championship. Next week the Belgian Grand Prix is on the programme.