F1 champion Nico Rosberg has listed the points that actually make his former teammate Lewis Hamilton stand out from the rest of the drivers in the sport, revealing why the Briton deserves an eighth championship title.
Hamilton made his F1 debut in 2007 and is one of the very few drivers in the paddock today who is racing in his forties.
Hamilton won his seventh F1 title in 2020, but the onset of the ground effect era in 2022 introduced cars that did not suit his driving style.
Now, with the new regulations introduced this year with entirely new cars, the Briton is placed second in the championship and is in contention for his eighth title.
Rosberg retired after winning the F1 world championship in 2016, having raced alongside Hamilton at Mercedes.
He praised Hamilton for his dedication to his goal of winning his eighth title with Ferrari and the way he has tailored his life around the sport.
Speaking recently on the High Performance Podcast, Rosberg said:
“I’m amazed that he’s still driving.
Still going.
And it’s incredible how he has managed to build his life with such stability as well to be able to have such longevity in a career, no scandals, performing at such a high level.
Source: Ferrari
“It’s not only about being a great race car driver, you need to build a life around that and not have scandals.
There are infinite examples, and Lewis has done an incredible job to build a solid life to be able to perform at such a high level for such a long time, and now taking on another huge challenge at Ferrari, and a huge struggle.
“It’s getting better now cuz he’s with these new regs [regulations], he’s performing much better than he was last year, but still he’s up against Charles Leclerc [his teammate], who is like at the peak of his ability, and he’s one of the greatest drivers of this generation.”
When Rosberg was asked if he would like to see Hamilton become an eight-time world champion, he said:
“Yeah, of course I would.
And he would deserve it, and it would be great to see him keep progressing as he has into this year, and I think he’ll win a race at least this year, but to get the championship, I think the car is not good enough, and his level is not quite there yet.
Hopefully, he can still improve through the season.”
Rosberg’s wish came true last weekend, as Hamilton secured his first victory with Ferrari at the Barcelona Grand Prix, also marking Ferrari’s first win after the 2024 season.
Now, Hamilton is in a position to battle championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
