Rosberg: motorsport veteran, entrepreneur and MotoE™ fan

This week’s Last On The Brakes guest is 2016 F1 world champion and electric bike enthusiast Nico Rosberg

Less than two weeks before the MotoGP™ season kicks off in Jerez, the Last On The Brakes Podcast team thought it would be good to add a dash of electricity to the show. No, not Matt Dunn’s untrimmed hair, but 2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg!

The German motorsport star is connected to Energica, the manufacturer of the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup, and Rosberg joined the team for a fantastic chat. From sharing a garage with legends like Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton and walking away at the pinnacle to personal development, social media and more, Rosberg shares a few of his thoughts on racing, winning and the thrills we’re enjoying as electric racing continues to impress.

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“So there’s not one way to do it,” begins Rosberg, talking about retiring while still at the pinnacle of your sport. “You have the Valentino Rossi example, which I totally respect, as long as he’s not out there just because he’s scared to stop, as long as he’s out there because he wants to continue the fun… it was just gut feeling for me and I’ve achieved what I set out to do, my dream, winning the World Championship. It was an absolute impossibility for me to achieve that, haha, up until the last corner of the last race.

“So I really went miles above and beyond anything that was going to be possible so I won that World Championship, and it was a case of saying, “look, I’ve done it all, I gave it everything I could for so many years… and more!” I mean, the motivation I had was uncompromising, the dedication off the charts… it was the perfect moment to say, “hey, thank you so much for everything. I’m taking the exit here.” Because I think also going out on a high at this point, it just carries you for the rest of your life. And I’m living that now. It’s still carrying me now with positivity. That last memory was the most beautiful. It forever will be. It just feels great, that was also the reason for doing it, that feeling it gives me for the rest of my life - the feeling of fulfilment, which I’ve kept. That’s worth so much.”

Rosberg goes on to say it’s “one thing is thinking it, the second thing is doing it. And it’s scary as hell” regarding jumping into retirement. We’ve seen some of our own riders doing similar, the main example being Casey Stoner. Sportsmen and women retiring when they’re still capable of winning might be a confusing prospect to some, so it’s fascinating to get an insight into the mindset with a world champion.

Here’s some of the other topics Rosberg and team touch on this week:

- Podcasters interviewing a podcaster
- Nico’s passion for electric mobility & MotoE™
- Personal development and going from racing to a ‘life of service’
- Moving into entrepreneurship, YouTube and podcasting
- Social media advice for up & coming racers
- Sharing a garage and racing alongside all-time greats
- How focused are you?
- Kenwood Quickfire
- Things you should look up on YouTube!

Head over to the links at the top of the article to listen to the podcast on your preferred platform. Or, head over to MotoGP™’s YouTube page to watch the show and any others you might have missed!

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