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Nico Rosberg believes it was ‘easy’ for Max Verstappen to beat Lewis Hamilton

Samriddhi Jaiswal
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Nico Rosberg believes it was 'easy' for Max Verstappen to beat Lewis Hamilton

2016 world champion, who was involved in an intense rivalry with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg believes that defeating Hamilton was easier for Max Verstappen compared to him.

Rosberg was Hamilton’s teammate from the 2013 to 2016 season as they fought the title battle against each other.

Their rivalry took a brutal turn as the duo collided in Belgium in 2014 and Spain and Austria in 2016. The Briton even tried to hold his teammate back during the 2016 title finale in Abu Dhabi to snatch the title from Rosberg.

Days after clinching his first title in an intense season, Rosberg announced his retirement from the sport. Team boss Toto Wolff admitted that having two drivers fighting at such a maximum level was untenable for the team.

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Max Verstappen has things easier for him

The 2016 champion believes that Verstappen not having a Hamilton-like figure as a teammate in Sergio Perez has made things easier for him.

Comparing his situation with Verstappen in his battle with Hamilton, the German said that during his time, the Mercedes F1 team had to maintain a neutral attitude between him and Hamilton.

He revealed that there was a strange atmosphere in the garage and that made it harder for the duo to come closer together.

He believes that things should be easier for Verstappen as he is seen as the #1 driver by everyone and there is a calmer atmosphere in the Red Bull camp.

The Dutchman and the 7-time world champion had intentional crashes

BBC sports commentator Jack Nicholls believes that the crashes between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen could have been intentional in an effort to not give the other a psychological advantage.

During their rivalry in the 2021 season, Hamilton and Verstappen were involved in multiple extreme crashes at Silverstone and Brazil, for instance.

Nicholls believes that it sometimes feels like Hamilton and Verstappen would rather have a crash than give up on the other one.

Also Read: Red Bull boss leaks Max Verstappen’s ‘love island relationship’ in F1

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal

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Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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