“He has the fighting mentality just like Michael Schumacher”: Nico Rosberg hails Max Verstappen among top 5 drivers of all time

Tanish Chachra | 09/12/2022
"He has the fighting mentality just like Michael Schumacher": Nico Rosberg hails Max Verstappen among top 5 drivers of all time

Max Verstappen, in the 2022 season, absolutely dominated the grid. Only at 25, he is a two-time world champion and ranks in the most wins chart with over 35 victories in F1.

Verstappen still has several years left in him. Moreover, Red Bull is also in a very stable position and will likely dominate again next season. But surely Ferrari and Mercedes would be the teams to beat.

Nevertheless, Verstappen is on his course to shatter all the records on his way ahead. At this rate, he can even threaten Michael Schumacher and Lewis hamilton’s record of seven world titles. But will he get the right resources for such a long period? That remains to be seen.

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Nico Rosberg counts Max Verstappen among the top 5 of all time

With 15 wins this season, Verstappen told his rivals that his time had arrived. Former F1 champion Nico Rosberg believes Verstappen is already in the league of Schumacher and could be rated in the top 5 drivers of all time.

“He has the fighting mentality just like Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna and he doesn’t make mistakes anymore,” he explained to RacingNews365.

Rosberg claims Verstappen has blown his mind this year by winning 15 races, despite only securing seven poles this season. This feat makes him regard the Dutchman among the top five drivers of all time.

Red Bull’s entire focus is on one man

It’s no secret that Red Bull has its priority straight. Verstappen is their main man, and their every effort would be to get him another championship. As of now, whoever teams up with him would have to satisfy themselves with the role of a deputy.

Because of this, Rosberg envies Verstappen. The German claims he never got such treatment at Mercedes while partnering with Hamilton. He claims Mercedes had to show a bit of equality which led to duels between the drivers.

But with the pecking order in place, Rosberg feels Verstappen doesn’t have to worry about his teammate and can only focus on winning races for the team.

Though this setting in the team has also placed friction between Verstappen and Sergio Perez, the latter is now trying to punch up as he has started showing his title ambitions. But for how long Red Bull will let him stretch that’s a big question.

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Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Max Verstappen Nico Rosberg Red Bull

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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