Nico Rosberg has delivered a damning assessment of Lewis Hamilton's chances of winning a record eighth world championship, claiming the British driver is currently not at the required level with Ferrari. Despite this, Rosberg praised Hamilton's "incredible" longevity in Formula One.
Rosberg's Verdict on Hamilton's Title Hopes
Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Rosberg, who beat Hamilton to the 2016 world championship after three fractious seasons together at Mercedes, said he would like to see Hamilton win an eighth title but believes the car and Hamilton's performance are not yet good enough. "Yes, of course, and he would deserve it," Rosberg said. "It would be great to see him keep progressing as he has into this year. And I think he will win a race at least this year. But to get the championship, the car is not good enough, and his level is not quite there yet, but hopefully he can still improve throughout the season."
Hamilton's Struggles at Ferrari
Hamilton, 41, heads into Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix among the favourites to land his first victory for Ferrari, a fortnight after taking his best result with the Italian team – runner-up to Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli in Canada. That marked Hamilton's second podium from the opening five rounds, having failed to land a single top-three finish in his first season at Ferrari, leaving him fourth in the standings, just three points adrift of teammate Charles Leclerc. Ferrari are expected to perform well at the principality this weekend, with the unique track expected to suit their machinery.
Hamilton endured a poor first season with Ferrari, at one stage describing himself as "useless" and even calling on the Italian giants to replace him with another driver. Rosberg commented on the struggles: "Even though the best (in Formula One) are earning 50 million dollars a year, the struggles are still real. Lewis Hamilton, earning tons of money at Ferrari, if you ask him about last year and how horrible it was on a scale of 1 to 10, he would give you a 10. Coming to a new team, the whole of Italy slowly but surely turning against him because he is not delivering, his younger teammate beating him… that is a horrible situation to be in."
Rosberg's Praise for Hamilton's Longevity
At the peak of their rivalry, Hamilton and Rosberg did not speak to one another despite being in the same team. Rosberg noted they are now neutral: "Bad things happened and you can't fix that so easily either. Who is going to say sorry first? I don't know." He expressed amazement that Hamilton is still driving: "I have been retired for 10 years, and it is not like we were young at the time, and he is still going. He is a genius. It's incredible how he has managed to build his life with such stability to be able to have such longevity, no scandals, and performing at a high level for such a long time."
Rosberg added: "Now he is taking on another huge challenge at Ferrari, and a huge struggle. It is getting better because with these new regulations he is performing much better than he was last year. But he is up against Charles Leclerc who is at the peak of his ability, and he is one of the greatest drivers of this generation so it is going to be difficult."
