SPIEGEL: Mr. Rosberg, have you received angry phone calls from your ex-Formula 1 colleagues recently?
Nico Rosberg: No, why?
SPIEGEL: Because you said that Formula One with its combustion engines is no longer fit for the new era.
Rosberg: Formula One has to think long-term when all the world switches to e-mobility. At some point, then Formula 1 will be electric. But Formula E has the rights to car racing with electric motors. Since both race series have the same owner - Mr Malone - it could be that they will eventually merge. But I'm not talking about tomorrow, but about tomorrow.
SPIEGEL: How long will both series still run in parallel?
Rosberg: I do not know that. There are in both racing series largely the same manufacturer at the start. The formula E is so interesting for the manufacturers because they can still learn a lot for the development of e-mobility. Too bad that the cars in the racing series are still equipped with a standard battery. Here lies the greatest development potential. It is also important that in Formula E we see gladiatorial fights as in Formula One.
SPIEGEL: But German manufacturers do not build batteries.
Rosberg: You keep researching. It would be dangerous if China and South Korea permanently have a monopoly on the batteries, because that's where the biggest profit margin is. But I have the hope that the German manufacturers are still in the battery production.
SPIEGEL: Pretty soon after you left Formula One, you began to engage in e-mobility. What was the moment when you thought that combustion engines would soon be history, I want to invest in e-mobility?
Rosberg: The trigger was my conversation with Mercedes. By the time I left Formula One, I saw the whole company moving towards e-mobility. And since I was looking for a significant new challenge, I decided to invest in e-mobility and other green technologies.
SPIEGEL: What was the first step?
Rosberg: I participated in the Formula E because I know the best about it. And the investment has already paid off, the value has multiplied, the formula E is now worth 700 million euros.
SPIEGEL: What is your estimate of the marketing potential of Formula E?
Rosberg: Huge. The sponsors all want to get in. There is still a lot of potential in the television rights. We do not earn much there, we still have to work on that. But that's because Formula E is only four years old. That was not the case at Formula One from the start. That's a long way.
SPIEGEL: Because Formula 1 dominates? Will this eventually tip?
Rosberg: No, the racing fans will not suddenly just look at Formula E. That's why Formula E has to appeal to new target groups. The claim is to address families and urban target groups. In addition to the races, Formula E is also about a superordinate sense, environmentally friendly mobility. A movement. A consciousness.
SPIEGEL: Because you can win people who reject Formula One for environmental reasons?
Rosberg: Yes, it is subtle.
SPIEGEL: Many view the car as an expression of their personality and have an emotional relationship to it.
Rosberg: Not anymore today. I am also here with Uber here in Davos, I do not care what kind of vehicle this is. If autonomous driving prevails, it will change even more.
SPIEGEL: Do people really want to race at all then?
Rosberg: That could ease off. The car used to be a bit of freedom for the youth. That will be lost, there will be fewer people who have this passion for driving. But maybe you win people over for e-sports and gaming for racing instead.
SPIEGEL: Who will dominate e-mobility? The Americans, the Germans or the Chinese?
Rosberg: The German manufacturers now go massively in the e-mobility, so I believe that the existing order does not change immediately. The greater disruption comes through autonomous driving and car sharing, because market power is then based on an app and not on the vehicle. Then there is the danger that providers such as Google dominate the market. But the manufacturers know that and therefore give gas.
SPIEGEL: Did the Germans hold on to the internal combustion engine for too long?
Rosberg: Probably they should have come earlier with electric motors. But it does not help to produce many electric cars if nobody buys them. And if the charging structure is not there yet. Even now we do not know if all the e-models of VW and others are actually purchased. Without Tesla it would probably have taken even longer, but everyone is worried that Tesla dominates the market.
SPIEGEL: And thanks to the diesel affair.
Rosberg: Yes, the diesel affair has accelerated the development. But if price and reach are right up to the big model offensive 2021/22, the German manufacturers have a good chance. And that's important too, cities need to get cleaner.
SPIEGEL: Does German politics do enough to promote e-mobility?
Rosberg: Basically, but the biggest challenge is the infrastructure. In Davos I will talk about this with Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer.
SPIEGEL: What would you recommend to him?
Rosberg: I can not give a recommendation because I do not have the expertise. But what matters is that all together, politics and business, work together to build the e-mobility infrastructure to accelerate that.
SPIEGEL: You said the cities must become cleaner. Are driving bans, as they are now in some cities, the right way?
Rosberg: I do not think so. Of course we have to reduce traffic in the cities. But that must not be at the expense of consumers. We have to be careful.
SPIEGEL: In Germany, a speed limit is currently being discussed. Would that make sense to reduce air pollution from exhaust gases?
Rosberg: I do not know if a forced renunciation is always the right way. There are also smarter ways than the prohibition ax. It's about two things: minimizing risk and protecting the environment. We would destroy a special piece of German car culture. The highway is famous all over the world and it should stay that way. We need to improve technology to reduce risk and pollutants. That can be safety systems in the car. And: Since 2008, for example, there is only sulfur-free fuel in the EU. We have to keep going. In the end, there will hopefully be a mobility with 100 percent sustainably generated energy and 100 percent recycling rate for batteries.
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SPIEGEL: Where are the greatest opportunities for you as an entrepreneur?
Rosberg: I have the advantage that many doors open because of my Formula One past and now have a good network. So I can invest in start-ups that others can not get into. I am conservative and therefore invest in many different companies because you do not know who will prevail. But so far the investments are developing well, both financially and in terms of their positive impact on the achievement of sustainability goals. Because that's what I'm looking for.
SPIEGEL: How do you measure the achievement of these goals?
Rosberg: Here in Davos, an instrument is presented that aims to make the achievement of sustainability goals from the reduction of CO2 to gender equality measurable. The next step would be certification.
SPIEGEL: How do you define your goals as an investor and entrepreneur?
Rosberg: I want to be successful, entrepreneurial, and I want to encourage people to work for sustainability. For example, I did a podcast for that. In my active time, I did a lot for my personal development; for example, I studied philosophy and psychology with a private teacher for ten years. I would like to share this experience with the podcast "Wendepunkt", also with guests. It started last year with Bernie Ecclestone.
SPIEGEL: From racing, you're used to receiving instant confirmation that you've won or not. That's not the case as an entrepreneur. Is that a problem for you?
Rosberg: Yes, I find it frustrating. In the races, I saw my time after each lap. As a start-up investor, you have to wait years to see results if things go well. But they exist. Two years ago, I took over shares in the engineering company TRE from Neustadt with the industrial group IAV. The company was initiated by my father in the nineties, as a side arm of his racing team. I was just at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where we presented the autonomous shuttle "Mover" together with the automotive supplier Schaeffler, for which we developed the chassis with TRE. It can travel sideways, turn around its own axis and can be used in a variety of ways - in logistics, in warehouses or to transport people autonomously.
SPIEGEL: You also promote young drivers. What are you doing exactly?
Rosberg: I sponsor the kart series for young people together with sponsors. I want to give something back. I would like to find the next Michael Schumacher.
SPIEGEL: Will the next Schumacher drive for Formula One or Formula E?
Rosberg: He will still drive for Formula One. So that we do not get us wrong: I still think Formula 1 is great.