Max Verstappen at Hungary recorded his seventh win in a row this season. Statistically, it’s the second-best win streak record in F1, as Sebastian Vettel recorded nine successive wins in 2013. But in the second-best position, already three drivers are there: Alberto Ascari, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg. And the last person on the list blames Lewis Hamilton for making Verstappen equalize him, as Rosberg believes he could have had eight race wins in a row.
In 2016, Hamilton and Rosberg had a once in a lifetime like competition for the world title. Two absolutely incredible drivers in the same car were meant to go down till the end of the wire, and that was definitely Rosberg’s best year in the sport.
Coming from the 2015 season with great form by winning the last three races of that season, Rosberg had a brilliant start to 2016 with four races in a row. However, that season’s fifth race gave away one of the most controversial moments from the rivalry between the then-Mercedes lineup. And Rosberg believes that moment seven years later allowed Verstappen to equalize his record a race earlier.
Lewis Hamilton is to be blamed for Max Verstappen equalling him in Hungary
In Spain, Rosberg and Hamilton collided on the very first lap. Thus, giving an instant double DNF to Mercedes. Ironically, that incident gave Verstappen his first F1 win. But Rosberg thinks he could have won that race and maintained his emerging dominance in the sport.
“I would have eight, if Lewis[Hamilton] hadn’t shunted me in Barcelona, for those of you, who remember that race in 2016,” said Rosberg in the Sky F1 podcast.
However, Rosberg adds that he is joking and not serious about his accusations. Why would he be? The German race driver won the championship at the end of the season and fulfilled his childhood dream.
Max Verstappen is perfection
The Red Bull superstar has been in incredible form since the start of the season. With 11 races this season, Verstappen already has a lead of 110 points over the next-best driver in the standings, who is his own teammate Sergio Perez.
Thus, Rosberg thinks that he’s one of the best people to judge Verstappen’s performances as he has been in the best car, along with a good driver as a teammate. So, he thinks the Dutchman is driving at the perfect level.
Moreover, Rosberg even thinks that Verstappen can win the rest of the races this season, as George Russell’s prediction in March is coming out to be true. But one driver winning around 20 of them would be madness.
