‘Sensational’ was how Christian Horner described Nico Rosberg when hearing the German’s thoughts on the biggest moment of the Spanish Grand Prix and not because he was praising him.
Sky has had former drivers on before and even former World Champions but none so fresh as Rosberg.
Sensational or just brutally honest?
It was at this venue in 2016 where he had the most memorable of team-mate clashes as he and Lewis Hamilton went spinning into the grass.
He is still the third most recent World Champion. Six of the drivers on the grid that year are still in the sport, meaning Rosberg has first-hand experience of racing against them. The cars have changed, of course, but not so much that Rosberg would be lost at sea were he placed in the cockpit of one.
It is this closeness to the sport that made him a valuable addition in the race on Sunday. Insights such as drivers being able to get a moment’s breath by readjusting their seat belts during the safety car period or explaining how the humidity of a track like Barcelona makes holding your head straight a near impossibility for even the fittest of athletes allowed the viewers to have a brief feel of what life in the cockpit is like.
But Rosberg’s best strength was his willingness to give his opinion, regardless of who it might upset.
With Martin Brundle at home celebrating his 66th birthday, Rosberg was in the Sky commentary booth for the Barcelona race and as the sport’s biggest broadcaster, the person behind that mic is often the one who shapes the discourse.
Brundle is an expert at it, having been in the media since 1997, but while the veteran is able to walk the political tightrope of saying how he sees it but not pissing off those in the sport, Nico Rosberg had none of those concerns.
The final five laps saw Rosberg at his best as he dissected in real time the action before him and it is clear he is a student of the game. He described exactly why George Russell did not make a legal move on Max Verstappen into Turn 1, something Red Bull got wrong, and how the rulebook should have meant Verstappen was given a black flag – referencing a similar incident that occurred in MotoGP.
He stated: “The first one was George’s fault because he went in too hot, oversteered out and tapped Max who then had to use the escape road. That’s not the way to do the pass.
“Red Bull messed up by saying let George pass. That really annoyed Max because he knows George rammed him off.
“In Max’s eyes he’s like 100 per cent in the right. ‘Why are you telling me to do this, watch this I will show you what he did’, slowed down and rammed into him which is even worse. To slow down and ram into another driver is pretty bad.
“That [the penalty] is a very lenient one from my point of view. Remember Sebastian Vettel against Lewis Hamilton in Baku 2017.
“It looked like a very intentional retaliation. Wait for the opponent, go ramming into him, just like you felt the other guy rammed into you at Turn One.
“That’s something which is extremely unacceptable and I think the rules would be a black flag yes. If you wait for your opponent to bang into him, that’s a black flag.”
This approach is unlikely to win him many friends. Horner described Rosberg as “sensational” after hearing the German’s black-flag verdict but Rosberg has been paid by Sky to serve the viewers, not appease those in the sport.
More from the Spanish Grand Prix weekend
Spanish GP conclusions: Verstappen ban threat, McLaren secret, wildcard Tsunoda solution
Spanish GP driver ratings: Verstappen’s head loss sends him tumbling down
The F1 paddock can often feel like a gated community and those within it have long memories. Just look at the reaction to Verstappen’s hit on Russell and, if it is understandable why the drivers themselves do not want to weigh in, a pundit sitting on the fence is a disservice to those at home watching.
Rosberg himself is no rookie. He has been part of Sky’s punditry team off and on since 2018, also appearing on RTL in Germany and Sky Italia and knows what he is doing behind the microphone but what makes him a refreshing listen is his ability to mix recent knowledge of having been in the car with a bluntness that is unusual in the F1 commentary world.
The 2016 World Champion is of course not perfect (did you know he beat Lewis Hamilton in equal machinery?) but in a race full of talking points, Rosberg’s willingness to say exactly how he felt and back it up with knowledge of the rules and experience made him a welcome presence in the commentary box.
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