Nico Rosberg: F1 champ, sustainability entrepreneur, Continental brand manager

Nico Rosberg has signed his name on the Continental dotted line and will henceforth act as a brand manager for the tyre maker. Announcing the arrangement, the former Formula One World Champion tweeted that he’s “proud to work with partners who put sustainability, technology and safety at the heart of what they do.”

Continental also views its new working relationship as one with significant potential synergies. Philipp von Hirschheydt, who heads the company’s Replacement Tires business unit for the EMEA region, comments that “Nico Rosberg and Continental make a perfect fit.

“Nico Rosberg has achieved massive success in motorsport, personifies elite-level driving performance at the limit and displays a multi-faceted commitment to environmental protection. Meanwhile, Continental – as a leading developer and manufacturer of premium tyres – is a standard-bearer for maximum safety and top performance in all driving situations. At the same time, we are pursuing a particularly rigorous sustainability strategy,” adds von Hirschheydt.

One of Continental’s numerous sustainability goals is full carbon neutrality within its tyre production by 2040 at the latest. “Just like me, Continental is strongly committed to enabling sustainable mobility. Development and innovation in the tyre sector are elementary to this,” shares Nico Rosberg. “I see these shared values as the basis of our collaboration, and I’m very much looking forward to working together.”

Racer turned climate campaigner

The Continental-Rosberg collaboration builds on both parties’ Extreme E connection. Continental serves as one of the main sponsors of the series and develops the off-road tyres used by all the teams, including the Rosberg Xtreme Racing team, which snatched victory at the inaugural event in April.

Nico Rosberg is one of the best-known figures in international motorsport. The 35-year-old reached the pinnacle of a successful career as a racing driver when he won the Formula 1 World Championship title in 2016. He then retired as an active racer and has since turned his attention to climate action. For example, he is pushing for the transition to sustainable mobility solutions and environment-friendly technologies.

When wearing his investor’s hat, Rosberg supports a wide range of sustainable start-ups that develop and supply innovative products and services. He has received several awards for his commitment, including the European Cultural Award for environmental and climate protection. In recent years, Rosberg also used the World Economic Forum in Davos as a platform to make the case for alternative mobility solutions.

Rosberg’s involvement in Extreme E, as founder and chief executive officer of the Rosberg X Racing team, highlights how seriously he is personally taking the idea of sustainable motorsport. “Extreme E is taking place in locations where the consequences of climate change are already clear to see. The series has teamed up with many different international and local partners to take action to mitigate the situation. We are giving this important issue a prominent platform – and at the same time stoking enthusiasm for electric mobility and eco-friendly innovation,” explains Rosberg.

In addition to the aforementioned carbon neutrality by 2040, Continental also aims to cut water and energy use in its production activities by 20 per cent by 2030.