F1 champion reveals 'painful' contract clause that cost him HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS

Former Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg has suggested that his fierce rivalry with Lewis Hamilton had ramifications for the pair's yearly salary.

Rosberg won the 2016 world championship, before retiring in the aftermath of what had been an almighty battle with now seven-time champion Hamilton.

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The pair spent four seasons together as Mercedes team-mates, with Rosberg claiming 22 race victories in that time and Hamilton 32.

They formed a formidable driver line-up as the Brackley-based team claimed the first three of their eight consecutive constructors' world championship titles, but German driver Rosberg decided to call it quits after the phenomenal 2016 season.

Rosberg foots big bill

Rosberg beat Hamilton by five points in 2016, as the two Mercedes drivers collided on multiple occasions, most memorably at the Spanish Grand Prix that year when a first lap collision ended both of their races, and Max Verstappen claimed his first grand prix victory.

Now Rosberg, whose relationship with 39-year-old Hamilton has since been fixed, has revealed what team principal Toto Wolff made the pair do whenever they caused damage to one another's cars.

“Because Lewis and I crashed, the team ended up making us pay for the damage,” the German told the Business of Sport podcast.

“We had to sign a contract that from now on, if we crash, no matter whose fault it is, we will pay for the damage. I remember how much I had to pay that was £360,000 that I shelled out for one of these accidents. That was very painful.

“After that, we definitely made sure that we didn’t collide again.”

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