Nico Rosberg recalls interaction with Williams chief early in his career - “He said, 'You’ll put us out of business if you keep driving like that'”

Former F1 driver Nico Rosberg recently shared how he was criticized for his poor performance when he was at Williams.

After competing in karting and junior formula categories, Rosberg started his F1 career with the British team in 2005 as a reserve driver before permanently racing for them in 2006. He struggled quite a lot in his debut season in which he retired from several races.

Rosberg was only able to secure 17th place in the drivers' championship table, scoring four points. However, he still managed to outscore his experienced teammate, Mark Webber.

Reminiscing about his time with Williams in the Business of Sport podcast, Nico Rosberg stated how he was scolded by one of the senior members of the team in the middle of qualifying. Rosberg was in his garage concentrating on the data at the time.

"A couple of races later, the beginning of qualifying, [I was] somewhere like 15th, really struggling. Another team boss, again Williams, but another person from the leadership, big boss actually, comes to the car in the middle of qualifying. He opens my visor and shouts with his military voice 'Nico, if you continue driving like that you are going to put us out of business.' This is the quote, like literally those words," Rosberg recalled.

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Nico Rosberg feels Williams driver Alex Albon could be a great Sergio Perez replacement at Red Bull

Nico Rosberg recently named Williams driver Alex Albon as a competent candidate to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull.

Perez's current contract with Red Bull expires after 2024. There have been several reports and debates about whether he will be replaced by the reigning world champions or not.

On the other hand, Albon has surprised many in the F1 paddock with his decent performances with a slow Williams machine. He had a great 2023 F1 season, where he finished 13th in the drivers' championship table with 27 points.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Nico Rosberg felt that Albon could be a great replacement for Perez. However, he added that, according to Red Bull senior Helmut Marko, the Thai driver is locked with Williams on a multi-year deal.

“Albon would also be a dream candidate actually for the Red Bull mother team for next year to replace Sergio Perez but unfortunately, as Helmut Marko was saying, Albon is locked in with a long-term contract there at Williams,” Rosberg said (via Sportskeeda).

As of now, Red Bull has not yet chosen a driver to replace Sergio Perez, nor have they officially announced the Mexican's contract extension.