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F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Rosberg savours sweetness of finally defeating Hamilton

Nico Rosberg says he can take greater satisfaction from his maiden Formula 1 World Championship title win having achieved it by defeating his team-mate and defending champion Lewis Hamilton.

Rosberg sealed his landmark F1 world title by claiming a second place finish behind Hamilton in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, emulating his father Keke Rosberg who was a title winner back in 1982 with a tally of nine wins and 16 podium finishes across a record-breaking 21 race sesson.

Becoming only the fifth driver in F1 history to snatch the title off their team-mate, Rosberg success comes amidst a rivalry with Hamilton that has stretched since karting days but yielded occasionally bitter moments in recent years as they faced off in the dominant Mercedes package.

Even so, it is Hamilton that has largely had the edge over Rosberg since becoming team-mates in 2013, with Rosberg losing out on the title in the final round in 2014 before being comfortably out-performed in 2015.

It is these defeats against such a formidable foe that Rosberg says makes his elusive title success all the sweeter.

"It feels like I've been racing him forever," he said. "He's just managed to edge me out and get the title even when we were small in go-karts. He's an amazing driver and one of the best in history, so it's special to beat him because the level is so high and that makes it so much more satisfying for me. He drove extremely high level, he's done some incredible racing, so he's been a very tough competitor.

Coming into the weekend with the highest number of race wins without a title to his name, Rosberg says he never worries he doesn't receive the credit he deserves.

"I don't drive for credit, I drive to win the world championship and I've achieved that. It's my childhood dream to win the world championship and that's what I'm excited about and I'm looking forward to celebrating with all the people who have been supporting me." 

Zdroj: crash.net