Lewis Hamilton’s gesture to ex-F1 rival’s children every Christmas | F1 | Sport
Lewis Hamilton sends Nico Rosberg’s children ‘a box of gifts’ every Christmas, despite the two former Mercedes team-mates sharing a personal rift that has eliminated their friendship away from the racetrack. Hamilton and Rosberg endured a fierce rivalry throughout their Formula One careers that stretched their relationship to breaking point, even though they had been close friends during their successful karting days.
The friendship hasn’t been restored since the German’s shock retirement from the sport in 2016. Despite their personal relationship crumbling, Hamilton still delivers presents to his former team-mate and championship rival’s children at Christmas. Both of Rosberg’s daughters are fans of the seven-time world champion, who experienced a challenging debut season with Ferrari in 2025, failing to score a podium throughout the gruelling 24-race calendar.
“The other weak point is probably a painful topic for you,” Rosberg was questioned on the NDR Talkshow in Germany. “Both your daughters are Lewis Hamilton fans?”
The ex-Mercedes driver responded: “That’s true too. That’s even more than a weak point. That’s a big problem.”
His wife, Vivian, proceeded to confirm that the Briton provides gifts for her daughters every year.
“Yes, he always gives them Barbies for Christmas,” she confirmed. Her husband went on: “No, that’s great. That’s nice of him. We kind of had an enmity. Now both children have a huge box of presents from him on their doorstep every Christmas. It’s a nice approach.”
Despite his status as a seven-time world champion, Hamilton’s generous Christmas gestures haven’t secured him entry to the Rosberg household. “He has to stay outside the door,” joked the 2016 world champion, “But he’s welcome to leave the presents.”
The dynamic between Hamilton and Rosberg has consistently fascinated Formula One fans. The German former driver-turned-businessman has publicly praised his former team-mate’s abilities in recent campaigns, yet their face-to-face discussions on Sky Sports F1 have appeared tense.
During the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi, Rosberg even criticised Hamilton regarding the Briton’s challenging inaugural year with Ferrari.
“It happened immediately when we were fighting for the World Championship, not before,” the 40-year-old told Eurosport. “But that’s always the case. When you’re fighting for success in every race and for titles, it doesn’t work anymore.
“It was a build-up from one race to the next. If you want to decide the world championship for yourself, you can’t play ‘love, peace and harmony’. You have to test limits and go into grey areas to win, especially when two drivers are at such a high level. Then it often gets tight.”
