Rosberg Defeats Coulthard in #ChallengeHeinekenLegends Event

Rosberg Defeats Coulthard in #ChallengeHeinekenLegends Event

May 18, 2020

Carbon fibre and champagne rained down as Nico Rosberg beat David Coulthard in the Challenge Heineken Legends event.

2016 world champion Rosberg squared up against 13-time F1 race winner Coulthard, as they battled it out across three rounds of intense competition to crown a winner. They were also joined by former F1 driver Robert Doornbos, and World Cup winner Roberto Carlos, who transferred his pace from the pitch to the race track.

Legends Duel

Brazilian Roberto Carlos is renowned for his passing ability on the pitch, which came in handy when he flashed past David Coulthard at the start of their 1v1 battle on his home turf of Interlagos, São Paulo. The former Real Madrid footballer took the first race one-lap race, but Coulthard sealed victory in the remaining two to progress into the final against Rosberg, who only just managed to navigate Doornbos’ late dives in their semi-final.

The final duel was at Red Bull Ring in Austria – and while the surrounded hills echoed with the sound of music, on the track it was the crunching of carbon fibre which could be heard as Rosberg and Coulthard battled.

The Scotsman took the first victory of the best-of-three competition, as Rosberg was spun round at the first corner, but it took until the final sector to decide the second race. Their intense fight came to a head when a sweeping move to the inside DC forced Rosberg, wide and Coulthard took the first round in straight races to claim two points to Rosberg’s one.

Rosberg’s Revenge

Revenge, a dish best cold or at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi as the sweltering sun sets. Rosberg knows the circuit well from his 2016 title triumph, and it was the two Heineken ambassadors who came together once again at the first corner, and this time it was Coulthard who came off worse as he fell to last after attempting an ambitious dive on the German driver.

The first lap also saw Rosberg dispatch Doornbos and establish an unbeatable lead. Coulthard fought back to claim P3, but his rival took a 4-3 lead into the final round of action after claiming three points in a dominant display.

Down To The Wire

A 25% race at the Circuit of the Americas was the setting for the final round. The Heineken legends were joined by a host of content creators including Pietsmiet, Maxime MXM and drivers from the infamous F1 YouTuber Championship series Ben ‘Tiametmarduk’ Daly and Matt Gallagher.

Yet it wasn’t any of these competitors that Rosberg had to worry about from the start. Fellow F1 veteran Doornbos speared the challenge leader off the line and into the wall.

After falling to last, Rosberg regained his composure to slice through the field and climb up to P5, only for disaster to strike as he lost the rear in the first sector and spun round, collecting Coulthard as he wrestled back control of his Silver Arrow.

Coulthard plummeted from his respectable P7 spot to finish P11, while Rosberg had to nurse his wounded Mercedes home for a P8 finish, which ultimately meant he claimed the Challenge Heineken Legends title, beating Coulthard 4-3 on points. The final race was won by Youtuber Tiametmarduk, who is more than used to battling Rosberg in the days of the F1 Youtuber Championship, as Pietsmiet and Maxime MXM crossed the line in P2 and P3 respectively for a content creator 1-2-3.

Up next…

Our next event on the horizon will be the Virtual Monaco Grand Prix, where a star-studded line-up of racers and celebrities will tough it out around the most famous streets in motorsport. Join us for that, plus F2 Virtual Racing and the F1 Esports Pro Exhibition, kicking off from 1500 UTC (1600 BST) on Sunday May 24. See you then!




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