Liberty bans Rosberg from Baku, Barcelona (Update)

Nico Rosberg

UPDATE (GMM) Nico Rosberg's assistant, and Formula 1, have denied that the 2016 world champion was 'banned' from attending the Baku and Spanish grands prix.

We reported at the weekend that the German was absent from Azerbaijan after having his permanent world champion paddock and grid 'pass' confiscated by Liberty Media.

Georg Nolte, Rosberg's assistant, said: "It's not true.

"There was a brief discussion in China with the F1 accreditation officer and that was the end of it."

Nolte explained that TV pundit Rosberg actually skipped Baku, and the race in Barcelona in two weeks, to prepare for his new green technologies festival called Greentech.

However, he admitted that Rosberg immediately apologized to Formula One Management for giving his F1 pass to a photographer friend in China recently.

"At the last minute, I wanted to give a friend the opportunity to go to the grid so I gave him my pass," he confirmed to DPA news agency.

Formula 1's communications department called reports of a two-race ban for Rosberg "fake news".

"Nico Rosberg misused his pass in China, apologized immediately and will get his pass back at the next race he's set to come to -– Monaco. No ban!" the department said.

04/28/19 (GMM) Nico Rosberg was banned from the paddock of the grand prix in Azerbaijan this weekend.

The 2016 world champion is a television pundit for German and British television.

But according to the Dutch publication Formule 1, he is not in Baku, after Liberty Media banned him.

In China, the former Mercedes driver reportedly gave his personal world champion pass to his camera man, which is strictly forbidden.

Officials for Formula One Management removed Rosberg's friend from the grid, and then banned the former world champion from both Baku and Barcelona in two weeks.

Reportedly, Rosberg will be back in Monaco.