Lewis Hamilton’s words were clear: he had always had teammates that were significantly stronger than the current Formula 1 leader Max Verstappen. He promptly defended himself, describing the Briton as “envious” of Red Bull’s soaring. Now, Nico Rosberg, a former comrade-in-arms of Hamilton, has gotten involved in the dispute and sided with the record champion.
“In my opinion, all of my teammates were stronger than Max’s teammates” – this sentence from Lewis Hamilton, which the record world champion dropped on “Sky” on the sidelines of the current F1 weekend in Monza, has stuck and continues to have an effect. A clear dig at Verstappen’s current comrade-in-arms Sergio Pérez, who is already 138 points behind leader Verstappen, and also a taunt at Verstappen himself.
“Maybe he’s a bit jealous of my current success,” Verstappen was then quoted in several media in response to Hamilton. “I think Mercedes finds it very difficult to deal with defeat after winning so much over the years.”
Specifically, Hamilton had named Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, among others. “I’ve had so many, these guys were all very, very strong, very consistent. And Max hasn’t raced against anyone like her.”
Formula 1: Rosberg is surprised
Of course, the latter Rosberg, who was never considered a friend of Hamilton, also sees it that way. “I don’t even know where Lewis is suddenly getting these comparisons from,” said Rosberg on “Sky”, but added: “He’s definitely right.”
Hamilton had three world champions as opponents in his own team, according to the German, who himself triumphed over the British in a Mercedes in 2016: “That says a lot, doesn’t it? I think Hamilton’s statement is correct.”
In the end, that’s completely irrelevant at the moment, “because we all know how incredibly well Max is driving,” added Rosberg, looking at the Verstappen, who was far away.
The 38-year-old even ennobled the Dutchman: “Max is well on the way to reaching the same level as Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. He will be one of the greats and be among the top five.”