Lewis Hamilton’s record-breaking ninth British Grand Prix victory brought an end to the ‘Nico Rosberg curse’. F1 folklore dictates that whenever the 2016 world champion takes a selfie with a driver or gives a team his backing, their fortunes take an immediate turn for the worse.

On Sunday morning ahead of the race, Rosberg nailed his colours to the mast. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he said: “Who am I going to go for? I’m going to go for Lewis Hamilton today… because I think Mercedes are looking really good and his race pace here – I remember it because I had to compete against that – it’s really really strong on this track.

“So somehow I feel maybe he can do the Lewis magic and make that work. But it’s not going to be easy because Max has the fastest car today since it’s fixed. Lando is quick also, so it’s going to be challenging.”