Nico Rosberg says messing with Lewis Hamilton's head was crucial to beating his former Mercedes teammate to the 2016 Formula One world championship.
The German pipped Hamilton to his maiden F1 drivers' title by just five points in a tense Abu Dhabi showdown last season, before retiring from the sport just days later. Recently-crowned four-time world champion Hamilton won more races than Rosberg in 2016 -- claiming 10 victories -- but lost crucial points due to a number of reliability failures and poor starts throughout the season.
In an interview with F1 Racing, Rosberg said that losing weight during the summer break helped him snatch a crucial pole position from Hamilton at the Japanese Grand Prix.