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Not So Fast, Nico Rosberg Asked To Ride Shotgun, Not Qualified To Drive Mercedes EQXX

You can get away with just about anything when you are a superstar, and better yet, if you are a former Formula One World Champion. Over the Monaco Formula 1 weekend, Nico Rosberg got his panties in a twist checking out the new Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX when he was politely asked to ride shotgun.
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX 10 photos
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Nico Rosberg
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Let’s face it. Nico Rosberg is not new to Mercedes. The German-Finnish former Formula 1 driver has had a successful career in the sport from 2006 to 2016, clinching the World Drivers’ Championship in 2016 with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsports.

But as huge as Rosberg is in motorsports, the Mercedes-Benz EQXX is currently the talk of the town. It is by far the most efficient Mercedes ever. It did a ground-breaking 626 miles, that’s about 1,007 km, on a single battery charge, from Stuttgart, Germany, to Cassis, France. Subtly speaking, the EQXX is the hottest kid on the block.

As you’d presume, every hotshot car reviewer, personality, or YouTuber wants to be the first to get behind the wheel and give their most candid review of the epic sedan concept. But Mercedes politely wants them to hold their horses.

As enthusiastic as ever, Nico Rosberg introduces the Mercedes-Benz EQXX prototype talking about its aerodynamics and weight-saving aspects. Mid-review, he has a brief chat with Mercedes-Benz chief design officer Gorden Wagener, and they briefly speak about spec-ing his soon-to-own production AMG One.

We don’t want to speculate about anything, but in the video, he says “we are soon gonna drive this car around the roads here above Monaco, which is really incredible. That’s a very big honor.”

Things take a drastic turn when he casually opens the EQXX's driver’s door saying, “let’s take it for a spin,” before a Mercedes employee tells him, “you are not allowed to drive by yourself. Mercedes-wise, you are not qualified because you don’t have the R&D license.

While it looks like a premeditated conversation, Rosberg can’t drive the prototype Mercedes-Benz legally. Some might argue none is more qualified than a former F1 champion. But only licensed test drivers can sit behind the ground-breaking prototype for legal reasons.

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About the author: Humphrey Bwayo
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Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life.
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