Nico Rosberg claims F1 'army bosses' demoralised him

Martin Brundle and Nico Rosberg at the Monaco GP talking into Sky mics by the harbour — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Nico Rosberg claims F1 'army bosses' demoralised him

Rosberg took to LinkedIn to share his wisdom

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 17 June 2026 10:58

The 2016 world drivers' champion Nico Rosberg has opened up on the tough leadership he faced during his early F1 career.

Rosberg's Formula 1 career spanned 10 years, where he raced for Williams and then Mercedes from 2010, acquiring a total of 23 wins, 57 podiums and 30 pole positions over the course of his career.

After making the shock decision to retire in 2016 following his title win, Rosberg and his since launched alternative projects, demonstrating his entrepreneurial side.

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Of the most well known projects is Rosberg Ventures, a venture capital firm founded by the world champion. Now in the position of a business leader, Rosberg dispenses his advice from time-to-time on LinkedIn, often referring back to lessons from his F1 career.

In a recent post, he evaluated the balance between tough and sensitive leaders, and claimed the 'army general' approach in F1 didn't work for him.

Nico Rosberg claims F1 'army bosses' demoralised him in bid to become world champion

Rosberg wrote on LinkedIn: "For a long time, I thought being 'nice' was a weakness. And so I pretended to be someone I wasn’t…

"The real Nico is a pretty sensitive guy (probably too nice sometimes). But when I entered Formula 1, I thought I had to get rid of all of that. Naturally, I would yield. I would do anything to avoid conflict. But when you’re fighting wheel-to-wheel with one of the greatest drivers of all time, that approach doesn’t win championships.

"At Williams, my bosses reminded me of army generals. And the things they said to me made me feel terrible. But I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know how to say: 'This is not helping me perform better.' Back then, young Nico thought, okay, maybe this is what high performance is.

"So I told myself I had to be tougher. Harder. Show less emotion. Play the mental games. And don’t, under any circumstances, be nice. But I now realise that being sensitive was never the problem. Nor was being nice. The problem was that I didn’t know how to express what I needed.

"That is a huge difference. And I think that’s a skill all of us need to learn- how to set boundaries without compromising who you are. Sensitivity can help you read people and help you understand pressure. It can also make you a much more empathetic leader. But only if you also speak up.

"Research proves that when kindness is a core organisational value, employees are 3.5 times more likely to feel a shared sense of purpose between their work and the company’s goals. And workplaces are also 78% more likely to be innovative!!

"People in the workforce today are under enormous pressure. The last thing they need is an army general shouting in their face every day. What they need are people who understand the human being behind the performance.

"That is the balance I try to live by more now. I let myself be a nice guy. And I tell my kids every day how important it is to be kind. But kindness does not mean yielding on everything."

F1 Nico Rosberg