“It’s much easier to beat your own teammate”– Max Verstappen claims it was easier for Nico Rosberg to beat Lewis Hamilton than for Red Bull ace in 2021

Max Verstappen believes that beating Lewis Hamilton was much easier for Nico Rosberg than it will be for him amidst the intense 2021 fight.

German driver Nico Rosberg won his only World Championship in 2016, beating Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton by mere five points. He became the second son of a World Champion (Keke Rosberg) to win the title.

The 2021 season has been a close tussle between Max Verstappen and Rosberg’s former teammate Lewis Hamilton. While many people have been comparing this season to that of 2016, Verstappen feels that it is different in a lot of ways.

When asked by German media about his comparison to Rosberg’s triumph, he said, “Not really. They were in the same car. It’s easier to beat your teammate then.” “We have different cars, so it’s something different.”

“I think you can only judge the real driver performance for yourself if you are sitting next to someone in the same car”.

verstappen! #skyf1 #asknico https://t.co/wzsRrqrINf

— Nico Rosberg (@NicoRosberg) June 10, 2018

I don’t think  much about my ‘rivalry’ with Lewis, says the Red Bull driver

Verstappen also spoke about the potential of his rivalry with Lewis Hamilton in the same interview. It is fair to say that the Dutchman is not concerned with how his feud will rank among the all-time greats.

“For me, Senna vs Prost sounds best,” he said. “But seriously, I don’t think about it too much. I don’t really see this rivalry with Lewis Hamilton that way either. “I just focus on myself and the team. That’s when we have the best chance.”

Verstappen admitted that it feels excellent to challenge Mercedes for the title this year as the latter has dominated the sport for quite some time, making the fight more interesting.

“They have been very dominant in recent years. It’s nice that this year we have the opportunity to race at a higher level. “That makes it not as boring in the championship as it has been in the last few years,” he concluded.

The 2016 Championship went down to the wire with Rosberg clinching the title at the last race in Abu Dhabi. It remains to be seen whether fans are in for a similar battle this year.

Also read: “Max Verstappen will be better than Lewis, and Lewis was better than Michael”– Former teammate of Michael Schumacher predicts evolution of F1 greats