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<\/p>\nFew drivers know Lewis Hamilton more intimately than Nico Rosberg.<\/p>\n
Childhood friends turned bitter rivals, Rosberg and Hamilton were teammates during an increasingly fractious four years at Mercedes, three of which saw them battle for the championship.<\/p>\n
Duelling with one of the sport\u2019s greatest drivers up close, Rosberg knows what a fully competitive Hamilton looks like.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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Join now and get your first month for just $1<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n Today, observing from afar almost a decade after retiring from the sport, the German doesn\u2019t see it \u2014 at least not yet.<\/p>\n With Ferrari and Hamilton facing their best shot at victory so far this year in Monaco this weekend, will the old title-winning Lewis reappear to begin rewriting the Ferrari chapter of his career?<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has clapped back at ex-grand prix driver Juan Pablo Montoya following the Colombian\u2019s claim the Dutchman should be benched for bringing the sport into disrepute.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, near the back of the grid, Sergio P\u00e9rez believes he\u2019s proved his doubters wrong with his Formula 1 comeback just five races into the season.<\/p>\n The BRAVEST finish to a Motor race ever? | 00:57<\/p>\n HAMILTON NOT AT TITLE-WINNING LEVEL AT FERRARI \u2013 ROSBERG<\/p>\n Nico Rosberg thinks Lewis Hamilton isn\u2019t at the level to win an eighth world championship with Ferrari despite his improved form in 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, is the only teammate in Hamilton\u2019s career to have beaten the Briton to the world title<\/a>, though the struggle of prevailing in that duel pushed him to retire at the end of that season.<\/p>\n Hamilton won four more championships after his defeat to Rosberg, equalling Michael Schumacher\u2019s record seven crowns, but he was denied an eighth by Max Verstappen in the controversial 2021 season finale.<\/p>\n Three seasons with an uncompetitive Mercedes triggered him to move to Ferrari last year in pursuit of inspiration, but his switch has so far has failed to bear fruit. Neither he nor the Italian car was competitive last season, and this year Ferrari is a step behind title favourite Mercedes under the new regulations.<\/p>\n Hamilton says he\u2019s in it for the long haul, hinting at his contract lasting until at least the end of next season<\/a>, but Rosberg believes the Briton isn\u2019t performing at a title-winning level.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be great to see him keep progressing as he has into this year,\u201d he told the High Performance podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019ll win a race at least this year, but to get the championship, I think the car\u2019s not good enough and his level is not quite there yet. Hopefully he can still improve through the season.<\/p>\n \u201cBut still, he\u2019s up against Charles Leclerc, who\u2019s at the peak of his ability and he\u2019s one of the greatest drivers of his generation. It\u2019s going to be difficult, but it\u2019s great to see him taking on the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Rosberg was certain, however, that Hamilton would be a deserving eight-time champion if he were to seal the deal.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, of course,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd he would deserve it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m amazed that he\u2019s still driving. I\u2019m out since 10 years [ago], and it\u2019s not like we were young at the time, and he\u2019s still going.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s incredible how he has managed to build his life with such stability as well to be able to have such longevity in a career \u2014 no scandals, performing at such a high level \u2014 because it\u2019s not only about being a great race car driver; you need to build a life around that and not have scandals.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are infinite examples, and Lewis has done an incredible job to build a solid life to be able to perform at such a high level for such a long time, and [he is] now taking on another huge challenge now at Ferrari and a huge struggle.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s getting better now, because with these new regs he\u2019s performing much better than he was last year.\u201d<\/p>\n Rosberg and Hamilton engaged in one of modern F1\u2019s fiercest rivalries during their time as Mercedes teammates<\/a>, made all the more tense for them having been close childhood friends.<\/p>\n Though their relationship is \u201cneutral\u201d, Rosberg said they have yet to rekindle their close connection.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also have very different lives and interests,\u201d he said. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be best friends anyway, with the different lives that we have.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just neutral and fine. It\u2019s okay. Bad things happen; you can\u2019t really fix those so easily either, and then who\u2019s going to say sorry first? I don\u2019t know. So that\u2019s it. It\u2019s neutral.\u201d<\/p>\n Antonelli wins Canada GP! Russell rages | 03:07<\/p>\n \u2018SO MUCH RUBBISH\u2019: VERSTAPPEN DISMISSED F1 ICON\u2019S \u2018PARK HIM\u2019 CALL<\/p>\n Max Verstappen has hit back at Juan Pablo Montoya after the seven-time grand prix winner called for the Dutchman to face suspension for publicly criticising the sport.<\/p>\n Montoya took exception to Verstappen\u2019s description of the 2026 F1 regulations being \u201canti-racing\u201d and similar to video game Mario Kart in the opening months of the season as driver handed down their verdict on the 50-50 combustion-electric hybrid engines.<\/p>\n The Colombian, a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, told the BBC last month<\/a> that \u201cthere should be consequences\u201d for drivers who bring the sport into disrepute, including the risk of suspension.<\/p>\n \u201cPark him,\u201d Montoya said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to respect the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n But in an interview with Dutch publication <\/a>De Telegraaf<\/a>, Verstappen called for F1 to reconsider employing Montoya if he was going to talk \u201cso much rubbish\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what his problem is,\u201d he said. \u201cI also have very little patience with someone like that who talks so much nonsense.<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t understand why types like that get paid by Formula 1 management, simply because he sometimes works for them. Surely you don\u2019t want someone like that in the paddock who spouts so much rubbish.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a case of, \u2018I say something different from everyone else, so I\u2019m relevant.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t bother me that much; it\u2019s his problem. I live my life and won\u2019t let it influence me.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about the spat by Martin Brundle in the build-up to last month\u2019s Canadian Grand Prix, Montoya quipped: \u201cAnything new there?\u201d<\/p>\n He doubled down on his commentary speaking to a sports gambling site last week.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no drama,\u201d he said, but then added: \u201cAnd if there is, honestly, if you\u2019re angry about that, then you have more issues in your life than you should.<\/p>\n \u201cThe interview with the BBC was taken completely out of context. I had said that all the drivers who were talking shit about F1 should get penalty points or a ban for a race, as they do in every other sport.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I work for you and talk shit about your company, you are going to fire me. It\u2019s the nature of the beast.\u201d<\/p>\n Russell RAGES! Brutal blow ends his race | 01:08<\/p>\n P\u00c9REZ SAYS HE\u2019S \u2018ONE OF THE BEST\u2019 AFTER CADILLAC COMEBACK <\/p>\n Sergio P\u00e9rez believes his early performances this season have proved he\u2019s among the sport\u2019s top drivers despite his start-up Cadillac team\u2019s backmarker results.<\/p>\n P\u00e9rez returned to the grid this year after a year on the sidelines following his end-2024 sacking by Red Bull Racing following a year of dire underperformance that cost the team a shot at the constructors championship.<\/p>\n His experience as a six-time grand prix winner across 281 starts and 14 seasons was paramount to Cadillac\u2019s interest, but the Mexican veteran felt he had a point to prove after his long fade-out, particularly in light of his successors, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, failing to achieve better results alongside Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n Despite a top-16 qualification and a points finish so far eluding him and his team, P\u00e9rez is sure he\u2019s performing at a high enough level to be considered among the sport\u2019s top drivers.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very happy with my performances,\u201d he said, per the F1 website.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy I came back and have proven to myself that I\u2019m one of the best out there. That to me is really nice, and I\u2019m very happy with the level of driving I\u2019m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n P\u00e9rez has been notably unafraid to give the team constructive criticism publicly, and he emphasised that it still had work to do to bring itself to an F1 level as a constructor, aside from the car\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m impatient at the moment with the operational side,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s something that we have to improve, and we\u2019re in a massive hurry, because we\u2019re not maximising the result.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re making progress on performance, which is very positive, but on the operational side it\u2019s something that we are lacking tremendously, and we have to find our way for the European season now.\u201d<\/p>\n P\u00e9rez has emerged as the early leader in his intrateam battle with teammate Valtteri Bottas. Though direct comparisons are muddied by reliability and execution, P\u00e9rez holds a 3-2 qualifying advantage head to head with a slender 0.04-second and 0.2-place advantage. He\u2019s finished ahead of Bottas 2-1 in races both have finished.<\/p>\n Despite one-lap pace having historically been one of his weaker suits, P\u00e9rez has looked the more likely of the two to get Cadillac its first Q2 appearance, having qualified a close 17th in Canada sprint qualifying.<\/p>\n His reliably better starts are also putting him closer to a shock points finish, having gained a cumulative 11 places off the line across grands prix and sprints this season to Bottas\u2019s collective three places gained.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Few drivers know Lewis Hamilton more intimately than Nico Rosberg. Childhood friends turned bitter rivals, Rosberg and Hamilton…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":711710,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[2620,2095,64,63,175298,2090,4589,345988,2065,13275,82614,344298,345981,345984,2055,2057,345980,817,813,816,3875,2105,876,86311,14211,345985,167540,345989,5744,870,10115,86951,22298,825,345978,844,131292,927,938,849,2041,2067,345990,163472,2119,345987,345983,2111,167759,337991,35454,2072,316755,345982,316762,85,41162,22301,338003,345986,345979,1512,2062,2086,337987],"class_list":["post-711709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-america","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-bitter-rivals","tag-british-broadcasting-corporation","tag-brutal-blow","tag-cadillac-comeback","tag-canada","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-childhood-friends","tag-claims-italian","tag-close-childhood-friends","tag-combustion-electric-hybrid-engines","tag-constructors-championship","tag-europe","tag-ex-grand-prix-driver","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-george-russell","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-gilles-villeneuve","tag-grand-prix-winner","tag-grands-prix","tag-infinite-examples","tag-intrateam-battle","tag-italian-car","tag-jorge-martin","tag-juan-pablo-montoya","tag-kimi-antonelli","tag-mario-kart","tag-martin-brundle","tag-max-verstappen","tag-mexican-veteran","tag-michael-schumacher","tag-minas-panagiotakis","tag-monaco","tag-montreal","tag-nico-rosberg","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-operational-side","tag-penalty-points","tag-pit-talk","tag-points-finish","tag-qualifying-advantage","tag-quebec","tag-race-car-driver","tag-russell-ragesformula","tag-season-finale","tag-sergio-perez","tag-seven-time-grand-prix","tag-shock-points-finish","tag-six-time-grand-prix","tag-sports","tag-sports-gambling","tag-sprint-qualifying","tag-straight-race-victory","tag-title-winning-level","tag-top-drivers","tag-valtteri-bottas","tag-western-europe","tag-world-championship","tag-world-championship-hopes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=711709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/711710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=711709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=711709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=711709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}