Nico Rosberg claims he could beat Max Verstappen the ‘same’ way he defeated Lewis Hamilton

Nico Rosberg beat Lewis Hamilton to win the world title in 2016.

Nico Rosberg claims he could beat Max Verstappen the ‘same’ way he defeated Lewis Hamilton

Nico Rosberg (image via IMAGO), Max Verstappen (image via IMAGO), Lewis Hamilton (image via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen is arguably the best driver in Formula 1 right now. The Dutch driver has succeeded incredibly with Red Bull this season, winning 12 out of 14 rounds. The 25-year-old has faced almost no competition, even his teammate Sergio Perez failing to challenge the reigning world champion. Now, Nico Rosberg has claimed that he would’ve defeated Verstappen.

The 2016 F1 world champion reckoned that Max Verstappen was on the same level as Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg was teammates with Hamilton for four seasons at Mercedes, where the two had a strained relationship. Ultimately, the German driver defeated the seven-time world champion to the world title in 2016. He said, as reported by SoyMotor, “I put Max Verstappen on the same level as Lewis Hamilton.”

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Nico Rosberg was convinced that if he had faced Max Verstappen in the same circumstances, he would have outperformed the two-time world champion. Certainly, a big claim, considering the stellar performances of the Red Bull driver in 2023: Rosberg explained, “If I had to compete against him, I would do the same. So, yes I would beat him or, at least, that’s my guess.”

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Nico Rosberg believes being teammates with Max Verstappen is difficult

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (image via IMAGO)
Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (image via IMAGO)

The 36-year-old reckoned that Sergio Perez has a tough job in partnering Verstappen at Red Bull. Rosberg believed that no driver would ideally want to be in such a situation against a driver in their prime. Such a scenario would ensure that they would have to play second fiddle to Max Verstappen, who is the de facto number-one Red Bull driver.

Moreover, the former F1 champion recalled that Daniel Ricciardo was not ready to be in such a position. The Australian driver decided to leave Red Bull at the end of 2018 after Verstappen had solidified his position at Milton Keynes. Rosberg stated, “Do you really agree to put yourself in a position where you are going to be a number two contender?… Someone like Daniel Ricardo, for example, would never have accepted it a few years ago.”

Nico Rosberg believes he would’ve managed to defeat Max Verstappen the same way he beat Lewis Hamilton to the 2016 title. The German was convinced that the two all-time F1 greats were on the same level, and as such, he could outperform the Dutch driver. However, this claim would remain as a what-if in F1 history.

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