Formula One driver Nico Rosberg calls Triathlon his ‘new passion’
It is now the Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg, who has walked on the footsteps of Jenson Button by taking part in a triathlon. As the Formula One caravan sets off for their summer break of the season for a period of three weeks many of the drivers as well the crew members head towards their family and friends after having worked day and night for a long period.
Some drivers are still restless and could think of nothing else but the fact that they are racers and their physical and mental health is the primary motive of life. With this view many of the racers utilise this holiday to do all the extra stuff for keeping them fit that they could not adjust in their hectic routines of the Formula One calendar.
This time it is the ‘triathlon bug’ that has infiltrated in Formula One drivers who are always seeking ways to improve their physical and mental health.
Triathlon is a test of endurance and stamina through a series of sporting events including swimming, cycling, and running held one after the other over various distances. The participant who covers the overall distance in the fastest time, including the transition times between the races individually is the winner of the day.
Jenson Button, who had been taking part in the triathlon for the past couple of years had set the footsteps for many of the other Formula One drivers. Including German driver, Nico Rosberg, who was recently seen in action in Kitzbuehel, Austria.
The event marked his first Olympic-distance triathlon, which Rosberg states to be one of the most exciting expeditions of his life. The German was able to do pretty well as he ended the three challenges with a highly-respectable time of 2h 07m 23s, being the 44th fastest overall while standing at fourteenth place in his age group.
Last weekend, during his endurance test in London, Button recorded a time of 2h14m14s, despite the fact that the McLaren driver was suffering from an attack of tonsillitis. Last year he was able to finish at second place in his age category, which he recalls as one of the most exciting weekends other than the ones that he spends on of the track.
The Olympic triathlon that Rosberg completed this weekend is considered to be one of the toughest endurance tests of the sporting world. It involves a 1500m swimming distance, followed by a 40 km bike ride, and finally a run over 10km. The time consumed between the transitions from one stage to the other is also calculated as part of the race.
In the event, which marked the Russian’s first participation in a sport of this type, he completed the swim in 24m43s, while the bike ride ended in 1h 02m 47s and the last part of the day that was the run was ended by him in 36m 58s.
As the day ended he revealed his experience of the event to the media admitting that the last half of the run was the toughest of all. However, he described the day as being very exciting overall and called the triathlon his ‘new passion’.
The twenty-five year old driver currently stands at seventh place in the Drivers’ Championship of Formula One, having bagged ninety four points so far. His best race finishes of the season have been at third place, at the Malaysian, Chinese and recently at British Grand Prix. The last race, the Hungarian Grand Prix that was held just before the summer break had not ended well for him as he retired and returned.
Roseberg has expressed a lot of hope for the upcoming races and vows to give some great performances before the season winds up..
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