Business of Sport Ep.20: Nico Rosberg, F1 World Champion & Founder @ Rosberg Ventures, How marginal gains created a champion

Business of Sport

This week, we are delighted to welcome Nico Rosberg to the show. Nico is a Formula One legend. He competed in 206 Grand Prix’s, with 23 wins, 30 pole’s, 57 podiums, and over 1500 championship points. Nico’s World Championship win when driving alongside childhood friend Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes is one of the most iconic in the history of the sport, and saw him follow in the footsteps of his father Keke, who won the championship in 1982. It was in the days after this win that Nico announced his shock retirement, putting new meaning into finishing on the highest of highs. But that wasn’t the end. A serial angel investor and entrepreneur, Nico last week announced Rosberg Ventures, his new $75m Fund of Funds, a vehicle aimed at investing in leading funds to foster global startup innovation.

Whether we’re talking about sport or business, this conversation is the perfect demonstration of how a career at the top end of one industry can translate into significant value in another. As you will hear, the margins that separate success and failure in this sport are impossibly small. Dedication and sacrifice are non-negotiables if you want to achieve. This is the same in business.

He brings a truly unique perspective to the role of an athlete. This is sport, investment, leadership, culture, winning mentality. There is something in this for everyone.

In today’s show we discuss:

The world of F1:

• Growing up with a World Champion. How the success of his father Keke inspired a young Nico to become a Formula 1 World Champion.
• What does it take to make it in F1? The karting scene for young drivers is very intense, and requires a lot of time away from friends, family and school.
• Funding his own career in racing and the cost of participation to reach the top of the sport.
• What happened the first time Nico drove an F1 car?
• How important is the car to the success of a driver? What is it like to be driving for the team that is dominating a season and operating in an environment of invincibility?
• The challenge of creating equal opportunity in a team of two world class drivers. At the end of the day there will always be one who gets preferential treatment.
• Why did Nico retire immediately after winning the 2016 championship?

Mentality is key:

• How to master the 1%’s. From constructing a fitness regime to optimally manage the best physique, to the weight of paint on a hemet, what do drivers do to get an edge?
• Failure is really important. Missing out on pole, podiums, race wins that spurs you on to greater success and achievement.
• The people around you can help create the most prepared mind, and sport is now embracing the presence of individuals specifically targeted with developing the ultimate mindset to live with pressure.
• What happens when you achieve your ultimate dream? Learning how to enjoy the highs and manage the lows to build the strongest mentality required.
• How is the mentality of the athlete similar to the mentality of the businessperson, and what can be learnt from each other?

Business success born from sport:

• There are so many traits that translate from professional sport into the world of business. What are the key contributions of an athlete in an outside industry?
• How has Nico built a career away from the race track in investment, entrepreneurship, and wider business? What are things that inspire him?
• The launch of Rosberg Ventures $75m fund of funds and the ambitions Nico has for building bridges between corporate Europe and leading global startups.
• Learning a new language; the work required to get into a new industry is not to be taken lightly. What was Nico’s transition like from athlete to businessman?

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