Home Fry ‘surprised’ by Rosberg’s claims of Schumacher mind games

Fry ‘surprised’ by Rosberg’s claims of Schumacher mind games

Former Mercedes CEO Nick Fry has all but rubbished Nico Rosberg’s claims that Michael Schumacher played “mind games” with him during their three years at Mercedes.

Instead Fry feels the seven-time World Champion was a very good team player who took “almost a fatherly approach” with Rosberg.

Rosberg on Schumi’s ‘toilet’ game

Rosberg and Schumacher were team-mates at Mercedes from 2010 to 2012, flying the flag for the Brackley squad in Mercedes’ first years back on the grid as a works team.

Rosberg had the better of the results, bagging Mercedes’ first win on their return with a P1 at the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix.

Later that season Schumacher scored his final F1 podium, third at the European Grand Prix. He retired, for a second time, at the end of the 2012 campaign.

Schumacher’s place went to Lewis Hamilton and so began a thrilling rivalry, one that ended when Rosberg won the 2016 World title and quit the sport days later.

Speaking last year on his Beyond Victory podcast, he stated that the mind games played by Schumacher during their time together had helped him eventually get the better of Hamilton.

He cited a moment before qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix when Schumacher refused to leave the bathroom in order to deliberately throw Rosberg off his game.

“Here was Michael, in the toilet, leaning against the wall looking at his watch and he knew as long as he made it out with three minutes to go, he could just about jump in the car, put the seat belts on and go before losing actual time and ruining the whole team strategy of qualifying,” Rosberg said.

“There’s no options for me. I went for the oil bucket option in the corner. I managed to do what I needed to do but the panic had such an impact on my qualifying.

“While I’m with my oil bucket, the door opens, Michael chills out, walks out and as soon as he leaves from the corner he starts walking faster because he knows it’s like two seconds to go until qualifying.

“These games all day long.”

Fry never saw signs of it

Then Chief Executive Officer Fry was recently asked about Rosberg’s comments, saying he was “surprised” about what the German had to say about his former team-mate.

According to Fry instead of playing mind games, it was the opposite from Schumacher who did everything he could to help everyone in the team – including Rosberg.

“I have no idea if that’s true, I’d be surprised if it was,” F1i.com quotes him as having said in a Flat Chat podcast.

“People like to characterise Michael as this dastardly German who played all sorts of tricks. And I can honestly say I didn’t see that.

“What I saw was someone who was very good at being a great team player.

“He was genuinely the person who realised that in order for him to perform at the highest level he had to get everyone else to perform at the highest level.

“And that’s why he was so immensely successful over a long period of time.

“I didn’t see any particular mind games or silliness between the two drivers, in fact quite the opposite. I saw almost a fatherly approach from Michael.

“When all is said and done with Michael Schumacher, I think he’ll on an even higher pedestal than he is in most people’s minds now.”

And Fry knows a selfish driver when he sees one

Fry can tell the difference between a good team player and a bad one, after all he was worked with Jacques Villeneuve.

The Canadian was known for being difficult with Fry revealing he would do everything he could to avoid talking to his team-mates.

“I’ve seen both sides of the coin,” he added.

“My introduction to Formula 1 was working with Jacques Villeneuve who seemed at that to take great delight in walking to the car with his helmet on, so he didn’t have to talk to anyone.

“He didn’t seem to have much of a relationship with the mechanics or even know who the hell they were, whereas Michael was at the other end of the scale.”



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