@As-qz5lr are you for real? Nico is an absolutely brilliant pundit, he is so media polished but tells it how he sees it. I never thought he'd pursue a career in media post f1 but I'm all for it.
Totally, totally agree with Niko's point about Lando not putting pressure on himself by declaring he's the favourite, or whatever. Lando needs professional coaching in this area to keep a lid on things.
Lando already declaring HE IS READY FOR THE WC when he said 2 weeks ago he needed the learn stuff cos he wasn’t ready yet… SHOWS THAT HE STILL NEEDS TO LEARN STUFF 😂 He is undermining himself and he truly needs a ment sports coach. He still doesn’t know how to handle himself …. He is not ready
They 100% gave preferential treatment to George via setup/development direction. Toto even thanked George at the end of the race for giving setup preference to Lewis for AD suggesting that it was the other way around for the rest of the season
Agreed, Nico is also of course an ambassador for Mercedes and has been since 2017, so of course he will say that. He knows where his bread is buttered so he’s just being a company man.
So they should give their lead driver the preference. Lulu left of his own choice. If I was Toto I wouldn't give him the steam off my p!55. Carlos is different. He was dropped by the team.
Pretty sure Lando demonstrated that he has learnt how to lead a race - Abu Dhabi was a perfect race, perfectly executed. Vast improvement over Singapore where he seemed to take unnecessary risks. He held the gap at a very sensible level in Abu Dhabi, 3-5 seconds ahead so he kept his tyres in the window and left just enough dirty air for the following cars. He has learned how to deal with starts from pole - though possibly not against the RB Honda PU which has had a fantastic launch profile since 2022 - especially the 2nd phase. If the car can't compete, that's not down to the driver. What he has learnt is the patience to stay in the race & pick off the RB when his car becomes stronger. He will get better at racing Max with regular exposure. He's not had the car or the team support to progress sooner - McLaren erred in Russia in 2021, Silverstone 2024 etc. Is he perfect, or a superstar like Lewis & Max were from the start - not yet - but if he can continue the growth he's demonstrated this year and McLaren can deliver another competitive car then he has a chance to fight at the front. I find it refreshing that there's a driver near the top of the sport who still has the humility to recognise that he has opportunities to improve, and to be open enough to talk about it.
No pressure on him at all, he always choked when there's even the slightest bit of weight on his shoulders. This will be the year he lost the title rather than the one where Max won it.
His passion for the sport speaks volumes, the way he is allowing himself to express the true feelings of a driver and how they should go about things and think of things is quite gracious. You don't really hear world champions at his young age talk as openly like this especially when he could easily be doign anything else in the world making a shed load more money.
@Invin_cibles I KNOW RIGHT!! That's why I admire Nico a lot even though his golden era was when I was very young You're right, it’s really refreshing to see how he shares such unique insights about racing and life as a driver His honesty and perspective really set him apart, especially since most world champions move on without engaging this deeply with fans or the sport And he proves that passion goes beyond just winning!
@@MichaelGallagher97Just Leclerc, Alonso and both Mercedes drivers would've been enough. Even Sainz would've capitalized better imo. Piastri and Norris hopefully should improve next season
I couldn’t agree more with you Tom! I do also think that George was favoured by Mercedes, but I am happy to see that they had a nice final race together.
No he wasn't favoured. George was actually told to him pass and he also agreed as it was last race. You are in dreamland if you think lewis actually passed george without help.
@ it's not in George's DNA to let anyone overtake him, so you haven't been paying attention 🤣🤣🤣If you had taken a little more time to listen to the interview with Toto after qualifying you would have understood that they had chosen a set-up and parts for a change that better suited Lewis' driving style rather than George’s. therefore he had more trouble keeping Hamilton behind him, but also why he has been out qualifying him before. This was also confirmed in the radio message between Toto and George after the race. It takes very little of effort to find this information online, you know. It could have saved you time and stopped your imagination from running wild ;)
thank you. just posted same fact. Toto was angry and had different settings/aspects on Lewis' car than George's knowing they might not be the best for Lewis. Period.
@fletch9702 oeh, you got me there. Must mean what I said is rubish. Your mastery of language completely convinced me. I do ever so deeply apologize....
Tom should’ve asked Nico about when Michael came into Mercedes who was in a similar position to Lewis coming into a team with Leclerc. I think Lewis kinda knows he’s off his very top form informed by his quali performance. But if he can be consistent (which has been his forte) at Ferrari he could put together a championship. But Leclerc will be a tough nut to crack. So if he wins his 8th he really will have earned it!
@@briansmith6862 true, it was more about getting Nico’s view of the dynamic between him at the start of his career and relatively unproven versus a 7 times WC coming into the team.
Lewis tested in the majority if 2022, smashed George in 2023 and was something off this year bc you don’t go from an easy 3rd to performing like this this year for no reason
100% spot on. As I told my son back in '22. George must feel like he stepped out of a VW Bug and into a 911this season compared to that Skateboard of a Williams and he's over the moon with that W13. In my opinion the team would not benefit one tiny bit from any..ANY input from George. Instead they relied on Lewis to test/experiment/add testing equipment to his car and try a hundred different setups along the way, to try and get the performance back to their standards from that pogo stick of a car. In the meantime George is in no mans land running in 4th and tickled pink (Duh) because he's ahead of the greatest driver the sport has ever seen. I believe Will Buxton made a lengthy comment on this, I'm surprised other pundits don't "see" this.
29:10 - sorry nico but toto egging lewis on to try to beat george in his final race has zero to do with car setup / driver preferences during the year.
@@ParallaxEffect you’re so right I thought of that when I heard him say it as well. The way I look at it is and I’m a big fan and I totally can understand why they would kind of engineer the car towards George’s preference because at the end of the day, Lewis is leaving but I think Toto gesture in the race was I mean what else did you expect him to say? Had you literally had to egg Lewis on because he it’s the moment it was all about the moment it’s a special moment when we may not see anytime soon again considering I assume the next 15 years we won’t have a Formula One we will have a formula E lol so hey fair is fair it is what it is
Btw i dont even know if george was favored nor do I mind too much if he was, just drawing attention to a very flawed argument. When nico said ‘they didnt favor george and heres why…’ I was anticipating some insightful big reveal and was stunned by his kinda weak and flawed argument lol
Yes Nico but Toto also Thanked George for allowing them to set up the car towards Lewis liking and also the use of parts weather those parts were from the 2025 car or new parts to the W15. That implies that all the ''set ups'' they were running on Lewis car were not the same for George! I personally think they didn't have Equal machinery this season because when they did the difference in race and Qualy (Practice sessions) pace was noticeably stronger on Lewis's side. By the way i like you Nico but you also Enjoyed that treatment in 2016........
@@enthusiastlot9365 totally agree with! Lewis even said in a radio message to Bono before the Qatar GP that the front of his car was looking different than George’s. Besides we need to keep in mind that Nico has an ambassador role within Mercedes, so the name of The brand cannot get tarnish on his watch.
i disagree, RB as in Max won 3-4 more races after Miami without the fastest car, and without counting the last 2 wins from the final races. And at the end they were getting poles and fighting not just for -4th -5th
The only simple explanation came right at the end when Toto at the end of the race mentioned and thanked George about giving his parts and set up to Louis for one race and we saw that Lewis was clearly ahead of George even in qualifying pace
I think there was bit of sabotage and favouritism with setup. I think Lewis ended up being Guinea pig test driver with setups and George getting no1 driver goodies.. the fact that Lewis announced he is leaving Mercedes Lewis became second driver automatically 😂 and I will only believe differently if Lewis continues his bad form on qualifying in Ferrari
It almost feels like Ferrari is going to be the car to beat next year. Would love to see Lewis get on terms with the car quick. It's going to be the best season even topping this year gonna be close...cant wait
There's always a learning curve. Even for the GOAT. Ferrari won't win the WCC next season as a result. They'll lose points in the early races until Lewis is 100%.
@@user-yt7jb7kk1i If anything lewis has showed he can adapt very well. Look at 2008 look at 2007 look at 2014 all years in which the regs changed for him yet he dominated in a fashion no1 eslse did. Lewis 2023 3rd in standings with the 3rd best car on average. You cannot say that fully he hasnt adapted giving these reults
@user-yt7jb7kk1i saying that then don't you think that maybe now he would get way better as changing teams he expects everything to be different and adjusts accordingly?
@@adrianskip5775LH hasn’t been able to adapt his driving style to ground effect cars since the start of 2022… he simplyhasnt. Facts. He won’t be at Ferrari either.
@@As-qz5lr definitely all for it... needs to actually be qualified though and not just say buzzwords and phrases like "wow his speed was fast" (yes she actually did say that in abu dhabi)
@@As-qz5lr stating that Danika Patrick is terrible isn't mysogonist. It's simply stating fact. And she is a terrible person off track pushing pseudo science bullshit and misinformation. Nothing to do with her gender, all to do with who she is...
@@As-qz5lr its not misogyny its fact. Someone shouldnt be in just because they are a woman. Rosberg gives great analysis of races as he has been there himself, danica albeit a racing driver is the sort of presenter that just likes to state the obvious to stay in the conversation
@@benfuller2890 She's the most qualified of any woman. She's raced at the highest level in Indycar winning races and raced Hamilton in karts when they were kid. She is a trail blazer.
@@elizabethsilveriopmdMax didnt yap at all 😂😂 He answered 1 question in press conf. And George went off to all press 😂😂 George had himself bothered 😂😂😂😂 George didn’t get under Max’ skin. George proofed Max right abt being double faced. And the whole world now knows George is double faced 😂😂😂😂
Lando said 99 time nobody ever reduced points difference he had, ever. Yeah, but he had 52 pts to catch (with from that point on the fastest car) with 18 races to go, while Vettel cought 44 poinst difference with 10 races to go. The difference is huge, please stop talking about that. If just his starta were better he would’ve won the championship, not to mention his race craft which needs improvements.
I disagree with the whole "Max only got 2 wins since May and needed the starting gap". Looking at the points, he reduced a 60 odd point gap to Lando to a 50 point gap by Vegas. Even without the fastest car he was consistently scoring enough points to grow the gap to the field.
What great insights from Nico. After watching the enmity between Lewis and him, I think it speaks volumes of Nico's positive character to speak so well of Lewis and understand his whole psyche, just about. An interesting and informative chat, thanks Nico, Matt and Tommy.
Nico Rosberg never fails to give intelligent and interesting commentary, imo. And he doesn't play it safe - which I much appreciate. Though I don't think he goes too far, either. ☮
Tom: even as said later by you 3 in this podcast: Toto did give Lewis different settings in his car than George's b/c he knew Lewis was leaving, and, as Toto himself acknowledged, he felt "blind sighted" as he heard about it first from Red Bull. He was angry and upset with Lewis all year and so had no problem "adjusting" his car a certain way that might not be the best for Lewis. Period.
Am glad Hamilton has gone to Ferrari and Merc should be thankful Hamilton even stuck with them over the last 3 years given the shambles of a Merc he had to drive.
Great podcast guys so thank you 🤙 For me Nico highlighted an important point about Lewis over the years, that he’s kept his focus and nothing professionally or personally has interrupted his mission of being a winning machine. How many athletes/sports stars have engineered their own downfall in the past? He’s the quote ‘victim of your own success’. With the likes of Mike Tyson, he was unbeatable in his prime. The only one that could stop him was himself. And he did that with the Buster fight. Coke party’s and lack of training because he believed no one could beat him, even on a bad day. Thank you for making that important point Nico. Merry Christmas to one and all 🎄🥂🇬🇧
Nico is wrong about Toto’s comments in Abu Dhabi. It was Lewis’ farewell race so him saying that was just what it is. Toto even referenced George changing set up and parts. Nico knows much about preference lmao let’s check 2016
It's weird to hear Nico talking about what he had to do differently to win his championship in 2016. That year, Lewis had more technical issues with his car, than ALL of the other 7 Mercedes engined cars PUT TOGETHER! If it wasn;'t for this, Lewis would have beaten Nico by around 50 points, pretty much as the other seasons when they drove in the same team. Don't get me wrong, technical issues are all part of motorsport. Nico drove well and his championship is valid and true. But the suggestion that he raised his game to out-drive Lewis is just objectively false.
@@chillin4064 He won because Hamilton was s**t in 2016 and had terrible luck but still ONLY just held on. Schumacher was 40 and had mostly been away from motorsports for 3 years.
@ except those claims haven’t been proven true, and even Crofty doubted George. That’s what happens when you lie - like he did about his Lusail quali one week prior. “I had a de-rate bc the car thought I was on a straight, but it’s too technical for this interview”. Both acted ridiculous but in terms of who was more bothered, you can’t tell me Max was more flustered here.
I disagree that Max has been ruffled by Russell, I’d argue the opposite. Battling Max on and off the court comes with extra media pressure. Besides that, Russell will be the number one driver with a rookie next to him whom he has to consistently beat. The pressure is on now. Max has shown consistently that pressure only adds more to his motivation. With Russell that is still an unknown.
@ Mistakes or dragging drivers into the grey areas and at times the absolute limit. The mistake at Abu Dhabi was opportunistic and I’m sure Max would think that himself. Also, 4 titles and the majority of the significant records on his name, surely can’t be categorized as ‘making mistakes’. At 27 he has cemented himself into the conversation of all time greats. With a winning mentality also comes a ‘rough edge’ which isn’t new in the sport (Vettel, Schumacher, Senna, Alonso etc).
@@andrewmelton2686 inittt world class driver not even a shadow of a doubt, but when he actually has his hands full with lewis/lando, he loses it and goes kamikaze
Max threatening Russell shows that he's bothered by him. And we've seen multiple times that he can't handle being challenged. He looses it and starts making mistakes and / or trying to take out his opponent.
I don't think Verstappen will win the most races next year but I think his consistency throughout the season will still clinch him the championship. The others will make mistakes and crucially, each team in the top 3 will have 2 drivers fighting for wins and the championship whereas Verstappen will have Red Bull's full support
If Red Bull are not outright the fastest starting Australia and other cars are as competitive (McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes), Max wont be in a window to do his antics of 'let me through or we crash' as he will just be helping other drivers in the WDC. Soo it will be difficult for him but you can't write him off he is Max Verstappen.
I get that the contractor's championship is where the big bucks is but let's be honest..outside of the teams and the media making a big deal about it. No one really remembers constructors winners. We always remember the driver. We can name the last ten champions off head but struggle without aid of Google to name five constructors in order. I think this is being made a bigger story than it actually is by media.
Come on Nico, you must understand the difference of egging Lewis on in ONE RACE that was his final one. Come on man, youre not naive. What Matt said basically. Of course they'd have to support him in his final race for them. The race itself actually showed the exact opposite when the comment about setups was aired. Nico has intersting insights but has his biases, maybe not biases, bur predispositions and conditioning as a man who is an ambassador fot Merc (something Lewis was denied btw). Also, someone who benefitted from shenanigans/ team disruptions (swapping mechanics) in 2016. I honestly think a lot of what Nico says abour Lewis indirectly is bigging himself up for beatijg the best. Im undecided on the finak point as there does seem to be genuine respect and passion at times when talking about Lewis and even stuck up for Lewis with the "every dream needs a team" message, which was rightly imo pointed out as disrespectful/ not really celebrating the driver. Whatever the case, its not that clear cut. There really seem to be things going on at Merc and seems their treatment and messsages in AD confirmed it (that George was being favoured at best).
14:01 - "He needs to analyse every single wheel-to-wheel battle Max Verstappen has been in throughout the last 3-years." 💎 Great words of wisdom from Nico. This is 100% the level an aspiring F1 World Driver's Champion needs to take it to to win! 📼👀🏆
It's business..... i repeating myself.. :D "They need to show to stakeholders and shareholders that George is better and they are ok without Lewis next year.." so they kinda prefer george in setups... Not that they sabo Lewis.. but, they would "prefer" George.....
Just like to make two comments - when you compare the attitude Lewis with Carlos. In my opinion, Carlos was fantastic. He was losing his seat but yet he gave his very, very best. I do not think that Lewis did the same and he was completely overshadowed by George. The other comment I would make is that if Red Bull had their number two driver performing at any sort of a reasonable level then I don’t think that McLaren would have won the constructors championship. So Red Bull have a very important decision to take regarding 2025. Anyway, looking forward to next year and a very close championship driver and constructor.
One of the most thrilling seasons? Oh please. A good one for sure. But Max led the whole season and Lando never got close. The title fight was pure media fabrication.
I guess Oscar is Lando's big competitor next year. So he will be facing probably 3-4 big challenger to his second World's drivers championship. I'm imagining how hard for him to win races next year. This year it's a bit easier for him as it was only Max was the closest. I admired Nico more than Lewis but it's a shame he quit so early and he could've been won another championship if Mercedes give them equal preferential but it wasn't the case so that's the reason he quit in my opinion. Ii hope he can still come back with a superior car whichever team that be, I would be happy to watch him again racing.
My comment is for Max, the way he has driven in FS1 so far, his approach so far is reminiscent of a go cart driver with the bumping and boring syndrome. jg.
if it wasn't for the 10 sec penalty and the 7 places drop at AD for Max, he would have been on podium that race. The Rb was fast, the Q was dominated by Max, but he messed up his very last flying lap with 2 yellow sectors. But granted historically RB don't recover well with upgrades for the 2nd part of the season, in 21 after the crash at silverstone the new car was never the same level. And and 1 dry win in 8 months will not be enough. Good thing those early wins were there.
Got an ad for dropbox whilst having the ad read for dropbox whilst having ads in the video for drop box and before the video. Great insight by Nico and.all good.points i find.
Kimi lost his one lap pace? Okay Nico, I know you’re a world champion and due respect to it, but one lap pace doesn’t ONLY mean P1. Kimi qualified brilliantly in the Lotus and he also had a pole in 2018. I found that 2009 reference hilarious!
I agree George did a fantastic job this year. The first two seasons he really struggled (2022 he benefited hugely from good fortune) but turned it around this year. Hard to know just how impressive because Hamilton has been nowhere near his level in qualy from a few years ago but still promising
Everybody gets old and their reactions are not what they used to be. Just look at Alonzo a world formula 1 champion former. You can't stay at the top forever.
Nico, the Mercedes nailed the twin turbo engine that's not Hamilton who was responsible for the setup but it was Schumacher who got Merc right in the car setup. Top two Merc drivers were let it be Hamilton, Nico or Bottas would have won the WDC till 2018 , when we went into who finds the better trick saying Ferrari 2018 fiasco and settlement with FIA behind doors or Merc with DAS till it was banned.
Lando was 'marginally' better than Piastri? 20-4 thrashing in qually and 82 points clear in the driver's championship is hardly marginal. Piastri's got a long way to go to catch Lando let alone contend for a title. Piastri's biggest strength? The barracuda he's got for a manager.
He was nowhere near Lando this season but the agenda that he is the best talent to join F1 since Max has to agend 🤷♀️ Those four times he out qualified Lando includes Baku in which Lando was unfortunate with the yellow flag. 2 out of the 8 times he had a podium finish was because Norris was unfortunate in the race (Austria and Qatar he was not in a podium position until Lando suffered a setback) (focus is more that Lando had the better race pace in this situation and was in the better position) I love Osc but this season was really underwhelming with such a fast car, also 0 poles in that McLaren has got me worrying. Hope he improves next season.
Considering this is Lando's first time fighting up the front, I see progression already, he ended it perfectly - We have'nt seen the ceiling for Lando yat!
Congratulations to McLaren 👏👏👏 on their achievement. However, it is worth noting that the continuous praise from Sky pundits and their guests appears to overlook a critical factor in McLaren's success: Red Bull's performance was significantly hindered by relying on the contribution of only one driver. Piastri contributed 292 points compared to 152 by Perez 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂
Cos he couldn’t make another step and other drivers could. Its that simple. LH still hasn’t adapted his driving style to the ground effect cars! He still brakes too late and too hard which unsettles the car too much. His own mistake…
Nico Rosberg is the best pundit and commentator in the sport right now. His insight and honesty is what everyone else is lacking. He's not afraid to go there with or about anyone in the paddock and I love how he always wants to know what his colleagues think.
The biggest problem McLaren and Ferrari will have next season that Max Verstappen and Red Bull won't, even without the fastest car and can take advantage off is that these teams don't have an outright No.1 driver. Soo often Ferrari and McLaren drivers will be taking points off each other anf if Max just maintains a good consistency then he will still be strong in defending his Championship. When a competitive team doesn't have a No.1 driver, we end up having moments like Hungary and Monza 2024 where a driver in a championship chase will be shafted for the other driver. One of the main reasons why Red Bull and Mercedes have had the most success in the last decade in the drivers Championship is because either they had the most dominant car or they had a very clear No.1 driver who they would push for the championship. Vettel and Webber (Vettel is the No.1 driver and is treated like soo by the team!) Hamilton and Rosberg ( Both are really good drivers and the Mercedes is just dominant and the competition is mainly between themselves!) Hamilton and Bottas. (Hamilton is the outright No.1 driver and is treated like soo by the team and Bottas is a very compliant No.2 driver!) Hamilton and Alonso ( No destined No.1 driver as per McLaren's culture and they both lose to Kimi in 2007) Charles and Sainz (This line up was only going to successful in the WDC if the Ferrari was just soo dominant but not in just a competitive car or if Ferrari chose their No.1 xriver and push him for the championship) Hamilton and Charles (Just lke the lineup of Charles and Sainz it's not going to be soo successful for WDC if they are not outright fastest or don't choose their leading driver!) Lando and Oscar (This season just showed how they will be in each other's way for a championship charge. In Hungary Lando left 7 extra points for the WDC on the table, in Monza their fight in the first lap just invited a rival team in the mix and they both ended up losing the race to Charles!) (In Spa the team could have pit Lando on a one stop and it would have worked but by doing soo they would undercut Oscar and the team didn't want any blame for that, leaving more points for both Championship on the table again! Teams with such lineups need to have the balls to make bold decisions as to who they are pushing fpr the WDC success after some rounds in the season!!)
We all got the black tee memo.
I hope you get a chance on the main broadcast one day, your videos and streams are great!
Love seeing you on Sky! Keep up the great work!
Did you get the memo to use your brain? Empty vessel.
Project Mayhem
@@S38RXY bro needs to take Simon Lazenby's job
What an amazing guest combo.
Not sure, think Rosberg lets the side down
Sky literally got a World champion and a chav that sounds like he’s trying really hard not to sound like a chav!
@As-qz5lr are you for real? Nico is an absolutely brilliant pundit, he is so media polished but tells it how he sees it. I never thought he'd pursue a career in media post f1 but I'm all for it.
Mourning the end of an F1 season?
its always so interesting to hear nico rosberg
Sad he is not matured enough in his assessments. .period
Love hearing Nico, always has great insights, we need more honesty and inside info
Totally, totally agree with Niko's point about Lando not putting pressure on himself by declaring he's the favourite, or whatever. Lando needs professional coaching in this area to keep a lid on things.
Lando already declaring HE IS READY FOR THE WC when he said 2 weeks ago he needed the learn stuff cos he wasn’t ready yet… SHOWS THAT HE STILL NEEDS TO LEARN STUFF 😂
He is undermining himself and he truly needs a ment sports coach.
He still doesn’t know how to handle himself …. He is not ready
This panel is amazing, need this combo more often next year
They 100% gave preferential treatment to George via setup/development direction. Toto even thanked George at the end of the race for giving setup preference to Lewis for AD suggesting that it was the other way around for the rest of the season
Agreed, Nico is also of course an ambassador for Mercedes and has been since 2017, so of course he will say that. He knows where his bread is buttered so he’s just being a company man.
So they should give their lead driver the preference. Lulu left of his own choice. If I was Toto I wouldn't give him the steam off my p!55. Carlos is different. He was dropped by the team.
Yeah but maybe be transparent about it instead of calling the fans "idiots". Torger is a nob@@fletch9702
❤spot on mate you are so....period ❤
@@fletch9702yeah rascal toto unethical as he is ungrateful for 3yrs..period
For a guy that had his moments with Lewis, Nico speaks so highly of him. What a gentleman
They were good friends for years before Nico became a threat, and you can tell Nico still loves him.
I think that wound will never fully heal.
They're cordial, Lewis was spotted on a yacht with Nico and his family in 2021
Pretty sure Lando demonstrated that he has learnt how to lead a race - Abu Dhabi was a perfect race, perfectly executed. Vast improvement over Singapore where he seemed to take unnecessary risks. He held the gap at a very sensible level in Abu Dhabi, 3-5 seconds ahead so he kept his tyres in the window and left just enough dirty air for the following cars.
He has learned how to deal with starts from pole - though possibly not against the RB Honda PU which has had a fantastic launch profile since 2022 - especially the 2nd phase. If the car can't compete, that's not down to the driver. What he has learnt is the patience to stay in the race & pick off the RB when his car becomes stronger. He will get better at racing Max with regular exposure.
He's not had the car or the team support to progress sooner - McLaren erred in Russia in 2021, Silverstone 2024 etc. Is he perfect, or a superstar like Lewis & Max were from the start - not yet - but if he can continue the growth he's demonstrated this year and McLaren can deliver another competitive car then he has a chance to fight at the front. I find it refreshing that there's a driver near the top of the sport who still has the humility to recognise that he has opportunities to improve, and to be open enough to talk about it.
Oscaar is a better driver more aggressive where he needs to be...period.
Easy to do when you're not in a championship battle and the guy who has been beating you was in the midfield with a 10 second penalty
No pressure on him at all, he always choked when there's even the slightest bit of weight on his shoulders. This will be the year he lost the title rather than the one where Max won it.
@@Sha-yw6fb Delusional
Consistency is the key!
NICO ROSBERG MY FAVORITE YAPPER YAAAYYYYY
His passion for the sport speaks volumes, the way he is allowing himself to express the true feelings of a driver and how they should go about things and think of things is quite gracious. You don't really hear world champions at his young age talk as openly like this especially when he could easily be doign anything else in the world making a shed load more money.
@Invin_cibles
I KNOW RIGHT!! That's why I admire Nico a lot even though his golden era was when I was very young
You're right, it’s really refreshing to see how he shares such unique insights about racing and life as a driver
His honesty and perspective really set him apart, especially since most world champions move on without engaging this deeply with fans or the sport
And he proves that passion goes beyond just winning!
Nico just personifies pure class, he comes across like an absolute gent of a guy and it goes without saying his knowledge is absolutely on point.
It's not tonally so he still biased surprisingly...yet to deliver ethnically proper podcast
The championship was never 'wide open'. Not a single time.
If a better driver was in the McLaren it was wide open
@@MalcolmTann0 true
@@MalcolmTann0 If Mclaren had a Cloned Max Verstappen it would have been tight
@@MichaelGallagher97Just Leclerc, Alonso and both Mercedes drivers would've been enough. Even Sainz would've capitalized better imo. Piastri and Norris hopefully should improve next season
@@MalcolmTann0There is no better driver than him in my opinion, except from Max.
I couldn’t agree more with you Tom! I do also think that George was favoured by Mercedes, but I am happy to see that they had a nice final race together.
No he wasn't favoured. George was actually told to him pass and he also agreed as it was last race. You are in dreamland if you think lewis actually passed george without help.
@@ary6039what a nutcase😂 your bias is showing
@ it's not in George's DNA to let anyone overtake him, so you haven't been paying attention 🤣🤣🤣If you had taken a little more time to listen to the interview with Toto after qualifying you would have understood that they had chosen a set-up and parts for a change that better suited Lewis' driving style rather than George’s. therefore he had more trouble keeping Hamilton behind him, but also why he has been out qualifying him before. This was also confirmed in the radio message between Toto and George after the race. It takes very little of effort to find this information online, you know. It could have saved you time and stopped your imagination from running wild ;)
@@ary6039 I think you are in dreamland
thank you. just posted same fact. Toto was angry and had different settings/aspects on Lewis' car than George's knowing they might not be the best for Lewis. Period.
Nice respect from Nico towards Lewis, loved his comments. Kudos!
There is no way merc would of given Lewis all the modes,settings ang technical data second half of season.
Exactly!!!!
Russell got under Verstappens skin and Verstappen looked ruffled? 😂😂😂 What reality are you living in 😂😂
Was thinking the same thing , Matt Baker is probably the only person who saw it that way or wishes it that way
Verstsppens? ruffeled? In what reality do you think that counts as English?
@fletch9702 oeh, you got me there. Must mean what I said is rubish. Your mastery of language completely convinced me. I do ever so deeply apologize....
@@wouterbmx072 As you should.
They both got under each other skin lol. I don't see any other conclusions. Regardless both will probably get over it during the break
Tom should’ve asked Nico about when Michael came into Mercedes who was in a similar position to Lewis coming into a team with Leclerc. I think Lewis kinda knows he’s off his very top form informed by his quali performance. But if he can be consistent (which has been his forte) at Ferrari he could put together a championship. But Leclerc will be a tough nut to crack. So if he wins his 8th he really will have earned it!
Mate he is a 9 time world champion unofficially...he still the Goat..
I think Schumacher had taken a sabbatical before joining Mercedes, so he had become quite rusty.
@@briansmith6862 true, it was more about getting Nico’s view of the dynamic between him at the start of his career and relatively unproven versus a 7 times WC coming into the team.
@@YousafKhalid-l4d Lewis has earned well and deserved EVERY bit of his official championship titles.
@ couldn’t agree more and no one should right off his ability to add another title.
I never get tired of listening to Nico. The only guy to win a championship against Hamilton in equal machinery
Stop dreaming come out to reality its not so...
Lewis tested in the majority if 2022, smashed George in 2023 and was something off this year bc you don’t go from an easy 3rd to performing like this this year for no reason
Exactly!
toto at the end of the gp thanked russel for taking the experimental parts that lewis was carrying all year.
@@1XAli exactly! and for the compromise on the set up. I’m not sure what people are missing here
100% spot on. As I told my son back in '22.
George must feel like he stepped out of a VW Bug and into a 911this season compared to that Skateboard of a Williams and he's over the moon with that W13.
In my opinion the team would not benefit one tiny bit from any..ANY input from George.
Instead they relied on Lewis to test/experiment/add testing equipment to his car and try a hundred different setups along the way, to try and get the performance back to their standards from that pogo stick of a car.
In the meantime George is in no mans land running in 4th and tickled pink (Duh) because he's ahead of the greatest driver the sport has ever seen.
I believe Will Buxton made a lengthy comment on this, I'm surprised other pundits don't "see" this.
😂😂😂 keep fooling yourself
Nico is a true Legend!!
Of all the F1 commentators, he is the best, and I wish his role would be maximized.
29:10 - sorry nico but toto egging lewis on to try to beat george in his final race has zero to do with car setup / driver preferences during the year.
@@ParallaxEffect you’re so right I thought of that when I heard him say it as well. The way I look at it is and I’m a big fan and I totally can understand why they would kind of engineer the car towards George’s preference because at the end of the day, Lewis is leaving but I think Toto gesture in the race was I mean what else did you expect him to say? Had you literally had to egg Lewis on because he it’s the moment it was all about the moment it’s a special moment when we may not see anytime soon again considering I assume the next 15 years we won’t have a Formula One we will have a formula E lol so hey fair is fair it is what it is
Btw i dont even know if george was favored nor do I mind too much if he was, just drawing attention to a very flawed argument. When nico said ‘they didnt favor george and heres why…’ I was anticipating some insightful big reveal and was stunned by his kinda weak and flawed argument lol
CultHL
Yes Nico but Toto also Thanked George for allowing them to set up the car towards Lewis liking and also the use of parts weather those parts were from the 2025 car or new parts to the W15. That implies that all the ''set ups'' they were running on Lewis car were not the same for George! I personally think they didn't have Equal machinery this season because when they did the difference in race and Qualy (Practice sessions) pace was noticeably stronger on Lewis's side. By the way i like you Nico but you also Enjoyed that treatment in 2016........
Yeah under normal setup lewis is much faster than Rusell..
@@enthusiastlot9365 wasn't Russell testing a new front suspension? And some new parts that can't be seen to make them eligible for post-season tests?
@@enthusiastlot9365 totally agree with! Lewis even said in a radio message to Bono before the Qatar GP that the front of his car was looking different than George’s. Besides we need to keep in mind that Nico has an ambassador role within Mercedes, so the name of The brand cannot get tarnish on his watch.
i disagree, RB as in Max won 3-4 more races after Miami without the fastest car, and without counting the last 2 wins from the final races. And at the end they were getting poles and fighting not just for -4th -5th
The only simple explanation came right at the end when Toto at the end of the race mentioned and thanked George about giving his parts and set up to Louis for one race and we saw that Lewis was clearly ahead of George even in qualifying pace
I think there was bit of sabotage and favouritism with setup. I think Lewis ended up being Guinea pig test driver with setups and George getting no1 driver goodies.. the fact that Lewis announced he is leaving Mercedes Lewis became second driver automatically 😂 and I will only believe differently if Lewis continues his bad form on qualifying in Ferrari
Love it when Nico is on .
It almost feels like Ferrari is going to be the car to beat next year. Would love to see Lewis get on terms with the car quick. It's going to be the best season even topping this year gonna be close...cant wait
There's always a learning curve. Even for the GOAT. Ferrari won't win the WCC next season as a result. They'll lose points in the early races until Lewis is 100%.
4 years has shown Lewis hasn't adapted to ground effects era cars.
@@user-yt7jb7kk1i If anything lewis has showed he can adapt very well. Look at 2008 look at 2007 look at 2014 all years in which the regs changed for him yet he dominated in a fashion no1 eslse did. Lewis 2023 3rd in standings with the 3rd best car on average. You cannot say that fully he hasnt adapted giving these reults
@user-yt7jb7kk1i saying that then don't you think that maybe now he would get way better as changing teams he expects everything to be different and adjusts accordingly?
@@adrianskip5775LH hasn’t been able to adapt his driving style to ground effect cars since the start of 2022… he simplyhasnt. Facts.
He won’t be at Ferrari either.
Get nico as a full time trackside preseneter instead of that god awful danica patrick
We need more females in the sport, sick of misogyny in F1 fans
@@As-qz5lr definitely all for it... needs to actually be qualified though and not just say buzzwords and phrases like "wow his speed was fast" (yes she actually did say that in abu dhabi)
@@As-qz5lr stating that Danika Patrick is terrible isn't mysogonist. It's simply stating fact. And she is a terrible person off track pushing pseudo science bullshit and misinformation.
Nothing to do with her gender, all to do with who she is...
@@As-qz5lr its not misogyny its fact. Someone shouldnt be in just because they are a woman. Rosberg gives great analysis of races as he has been there himself, danica albeit a racing driver is the sort of presenter that just likes to state the obvious to stay in the conversation
@@benfuller2890 She's the most qualified of any woman. She's raced at the highest level in Indycar winning races and raced Hamilton in karts when they were kid. She is a trail blazer.
Did I really hear “Russell got under Verstappens skin”? How to disqualify yourself 😅
He yapped a lot about to not be bothered 🤣
@@elizabethsilveriopmdMax didnt yap at all 😂😂 He answered 1 question in press conf. And George went off to all press 😂😂 George had himself bothered 😂😂😂😂
George didn’t get under Max’ skin. George proofed Max right abt being double faced. And the whole world now knows George is double faced 😂😂😂😂
Didnt max say that he would bash George's head into the wall ? Didnt he also attack his character as a person ? @@Redlingstein
Lando said 99 time nobody ever reduced points difference he had, ever. Yeah, but he had 52 pts to catch (with from that point on the fastest car) with 18 races to go, while Vettel cought 44 poinst difference with 10 races to go. The difference is huge, please stop talking about that. If just his starta were better he would’ve won the championship, not to mention his race craft which needs improvements.
I disagree with the whole "Max only got 2 wins since May and needed the starting gap". Looking at the points, he reduced a 60 odd point gap to Lando to a 50 point gap by Vegas. Even without the fastest car he was consistently scoring enough points to grow the gap to the field.
Exactly
If season started in Miami, Max still would have won
In what way did George get to Max??? Totally the opposite. Try to be objective, Matt.
What great insights from Nico. After watching the enmity between Lewis and him, I think it speaks volumes of Nico's positive character to speak so well of Lewis and understand his whole psyche, just about. An interesting and informative chat, thanks Nico, Matt and Tommy.
.. It's always great having Nico on giving his honest insights. Thanks for the pods this season. Cheers.
Imagine if we kept the 2022 regs just a couple more years? There could 5 or 6 teams up front.
If if if….
Nico Rosberg never fails to give intelligent and interesting commentary, imo.
And he doesn't play it safe - which I much appreciate.
Though I don't think he goes too far, either.
☮
Tom: even as said later by you 3 in this podcast: Toto did give Lewis different settings in his car than George's b/c he knew Lewis was leaving, and, as Toto himself acknowledged, he felt "blind sighted" as he heard about it first from Red Bull. He was angry and upset with Lewis all year and so had no problem "adjusting" his car a certain way that might not be the best for Lewis. Period.
Am glad Hamilton has gone to Ferrari and Merc should be thankful Hamilton even stuck with them over the last 3 years given the shambles of a Merc he had to drive.
Great podcast guys so thank you 🤙
For me Nico highlighted an important point about Lewis over the years, that he’s kept his focus and nothing professionally or personally has interrupted his mission of being a winning machine.
How many athletes/sports stars have engineered their own downfall in the past? He’s the quote ‘victim of your own success’.
With the likes of Mike Tyson, he was unbeatable in his prime. The only one that could stop him was himself. And he did that with the Buster fight. Coke party’s and lack of training because he believed no one could beat him, even on a bad day.
Thank you for making that important point Nico.
Merry Christmas to one and all 🎄🥂🇬🇧
The last 3 years he didn’t keep his focus and everything interrupted his mission…
@ he was given a tractor to drive, for 3 years. So mission was paused.
Nico is wrong about Toto’s comments in Abu Dhabi. It was Lewis’ farewell race so him saying that was just what it is. Toto even referenced George changing set up and parts. Nico knows much about preference lmao let’s check 2016
It's weird to hear Nico talking about what he had to do differently to win his championship in 2016.
That year, Lewis had more technical issues with his car, than ALL of the other 7 Mercedes engined cars PUT TOGETHER! If it wasn;'t for this, Lewis would have beaten Nico by around 50 points, pretty much as the other seasons when they drove in the same team.
Don't get me wrong, technical issues are all part of motorsport. Nico drove well and his championship is valid and true. But the suggestion that he raised his game to out-drive Lewis is just objectively false.
Yh, he's a mid driver. Totally overrated.
@@As-qz5lr he is not overrated, he beat 2 7 time word champions, but I agree his wdc was lucky ash
Hw won that title by smashing into Lewis in Spain.
@@chillin4064 He won because Hamilton was s**t in 2016 and had terrible luck but still ONLY just held on.
Schumacher was 40 and had mostly been away from motorsports for 3 years.
It’s been 8 years, cope harder.
They obviously don't give all the info to the driver on his way out.
“Max looks ruffled”……huh? George certainly seemed more bothered to me.
Max threatening Russell kind of shows Max was ruffled.
Yeah, talking out of his arse there tbh
@ except those claims haven’t been proven true, and even Crofty doubted George. That’s what happens when you lie - like he did about his Lusail quali one week prior. “I had a de-rate bc the car thought I was on a straight, but it’s too technical for this interview”. Both acted ridiculous but in terms of who was more bothered, you can’t tell me Max was more flustered here.
@@blueguy12345George lied about that
@@Slipstream_merchant no he didn't. A reporter asked Max if he stood behind those words and he sayed yes. He didn't deny saying it.
I disagree that Max has been ruffled by Russell, I’d argue the opposite. Battling Max on and off the court comes with extra media pressure. Besides that, Russell will be the number one driver with a rookie next to him whom he has to consistently beat. The pressure is on now. Max has shown consistently that pressure only adds more to his motivation. With Russell that is still an unknown.
Max makes uncharacteristic mistakes and becomes a terrorist when under pressure lol
@
Mistakes or dragging drivers into the grey areas and at times the absolute limit. The mistake at Abu Dhabi was opportunistic and I’m sure Max would think that himself.
Also, 4 titles and the majority of the significant records on his name, surely can’t be categorized as ‘making mistakes’. At 27 he has cemented himself into the conversation of all time greats. With a winning mentality also comes a ‘rough edge’ which isn’t new in the sport (Vettel, Schumacher, Senna, Alonso etc).
@@andrewmelton2686 inittt
world class driver not even a shadow of a doubt, but when he actually has his hands full with lewis/lando, he loses it and goes kamikaze
Max threatening Russell shows that he's bothered by him. And we've seen multiple times that he can't handle being challenged. He looses it and starts making mistakes and / or trying to take out his opponent.
@@andrewmelton2686 Aaaand the usual toxic suspect is here! Nothing unusual from the toxic mess that is the Hamiltoncult.
Lewis passing George was all down to the tyres. Lewis was on fresher tyres. That’s why he passed him.
Exactly
As an American I do apologize for Danica. But also no take backs either.
@@Bearer_of-Light I’d trade her if the UK takes Piers Morgan back
You can keep James Corden, John Oliver and all the other wastes of spaces that end up over there
@@Bearer_of-Light 😂😂😂
Nico should be the FIA President.
I don't think Verstappen will win the most races next year but I think his consistency throughout the season will still clinch him the championship. The others will make mistakes and crucially, each team in the top 3 will have 2 drivers fighting for wins and the championship whereas Verstappen will have Red Bull's full support
Exactly. Max’ consistency is his strength. And the fact that he IS #1 driver at RBR. You are right
If Red Bull are not outright the fastest starting Australia and other cars are as competitive (McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes), Max wont be in a window to do his antics of 'let me through or we crash' as he will just be helping other drivers in the WDC. Soo it will be difficult for him but you can't write him off he is Max Verstappen.
Nico’s passion for racing is excellent
nico yapping about LH is my fav.
Put Nico and Jenson at presenter is the best
I want that but Nico has selected number of dates sadly.
Lando needs to ask himself what's more important, maintaining the friendship with Max or winning the WC. He cannot have both.
I get that the contractor's championship is where the big bucks is but let's be honest..outside of the teams and the media making a big deal about it. No one really remembers constructors winners. We always remember the driver. We can name the last ten champions off head but struggle without aid of Google to name five constructors in order. I think this is being made a bigger story than it actually is by media.
Keep Nico Rosberg, get rid of D. Patrick. Patrick has no talent.
Sexist
Bring in Minton as the anchor!
Danica is also good better questions not like nico sometimes biased in opinions...sadly so.
George is did not get under Max’s skin lmao max does not take him seriously at all.
Nico knows his sky gig depends on his British cheer leading.
Come on Nico, you must understand the difference of egging Lewis on in ONE RACE that was his final one. Come on man, youre not naive.
What Matt said basically. Of course they'd have to support him in his final race for them.
The race itself actually showed the exact opposite when the comment about setups was aired. Nico has intersting insights but has his biases, maybe not biases, bur predispositions and conditioning as a man who is an ambassador fot Merc (something Lewis was denied btw). Also, someone who benefitted from shenanigans/ team disruptions (swapping mechanics) in 2016. I honestly think a lot of what Nico says abour Lewis indirectly is bigging himself up for beatijg the best.
Im undecided on the finak point as there does seem to be genuine respect and passion at times when talking about Lewis and even stuck up for Lewis with the "every dream needs a team" message, which was rightly imo pointed out as disrespectful/ not really celebrating the driver.
Whatever the case, its not that clear cut. There really seem to be things going on at Merc and seems their treatment and messsages in AD confirmed it (that George was being favoured at best).
14:01 - "He needs to analyse every single wheel-to-wheel battle Max Verstappen has been in throughout the last 3-years." 💎 Great words of wisdom from Nico. This is 100% the level an aspiring F1 World Driver's Champion needs to take it to to win! 📼👀🏆
It's business..... i repeating myself.. :D "They need to show to stakeholders and shareholders that George is better and they are ok without Lewis next year.." so they kinda prefer george in setups... Not that they sabo Lewis.. but, they would "prefer" George.....
Just like to make two comments - when you compare the attitude Lewis with Carlos. In my opinion, Carlos was fantastic. He was losing his seat but yet he gave his very, very best.
I do not think that Lewis did the same and he was completely overshadowed by George.
The other comment I would make is that if Red Bull had their number two driver performing at any sort of a reasonable level then I don’t think that McLaren would have won the constructors championship. So Red Bull have a very important decision to take regarding 2025.
Anyway, looking forward to next year and a very close championship driver and constructor.
Well said!!!
I like Nico, he gets rid of that British bias crap we have with Sky. He knows what it is like to be at top of your game with a dominant team mate.
GREAT Podcast by the way 🎉
Gotta love that blonde monegasque youtuber who beat lewis hamilton in the same maschinery.
Nico is always great. He has shone has a pundit and commentator.
Another great podcast episode, glad to hear from Nico about Lewis and Mercedes and again congrats to McLaren well deserved championship 🏆🏆
One of the most thrilling seasons? Oh please. A good one for sure. But Max led the whole season and Lando never got close. The title fight was pure media fabrication.
Exactly
I guess Oscar is Lando's big competitor next year. So he will be facing probably 3-4 big challenger to his second World's drivers championship. I'm imagining how hard for him to win races next year. This year it's a bit easier for him as it was only Max was the closest. I admired Nico more than Lewis but it's a shame he quit so early and he could've been won another championship if Mercedes give them equal preferential but it wasn't the case so that's the reason he quit in my opinion. Ii hope he can still come back with a superior car whichever team that be, I would be happy to watch him again racing.
Oscor will be a world champion he is so calm and with Mark looking after him he can help him a lot
My comment is for Max, the way he has driven in FS1 so far, his approach so far is reminiscent of a go cart driver with the bumping and boring syndrome. jg.
There are so many drivers that have a point to prove next year there is Hamilton, Russell and so on, its going to be a good season in 25
I love how Nico acknowledges Lewis is not from this world yet he’s the best ever.
Does Nico know where Hamilton finished last year? 🙄
if it wasn't for the 10 sec penalty and the 7 places drop at AD for Max, he would have been on podium that race. The Rb was fast, the Q was dominated by Max, but he messed up his very last flying lap with 2 yellow sectors. But granted historically RB don't recover well with upgrades for the 2nd part of the season, in 21 after the crash at silverstone the new car was never the same level. And and 1 dry win in 8 months will not be enough. Good thing those early wins were there.
Got an ad for dropbox whilst having the ad read for dropbox whilst having ads in the video for drop box and before the video.
Great insight by Nico and.all good.points i find.
Kimi lost his one lap pace? Okay Nico, I know you’re a world champion and due respect to it, but one lap pace doesn’t ONLY mean P1. Kimi qualified brilliantly in the Lotus and he also had a pole in 2018. I found that 2009 reference hilarious!
I agree George did a fantastic job this year. The first two seasons he really struggled (2022 he benefited hugely from good fortune) but turned it around this year. Hard to know just how impressive because Hamilton has been nowhere near his level in qualy from a few years ago but still promising
Everybody gets old and their reactions are not what they used to be.
Just look at Alonzo a world formula 1 champion former.
You can't stay at the top forever.
Nico , Tom & Mat wishing you all including your families the best Christmas 🎄🎁 B Safe💪
Nico, the Mercedes nailed the twin turbo engine that's not Hamilton who was responsible for the setup but it was Schumacher who got Merc right in the car setup.
Top two Merc drivers were let it be Hamilton, Nico or Bottas would have won the WDC till 2018 , when we went into who finds the better trick saying Ferrari 2018 fiasco and settlement with FIA behind doors or Merc with DAS till it was banned.
Great guests please have them on for more!
Can't wait for Nico to welcome Lewis on the last race of his career.
Big fan of this guest combo
Lando was 'marginally' better than Piastri? 20-4 thrashing in qually and 82 points clear in the driver's championship is hardly marginal. Piastri's got a long way to go to catch Lando let alone contend for a title. Piastri's biggest strength? The barracuda he's got for a manager.
He was nowhere near Lando this season but the agenda that he is the best talent to join F1 since Max has to agend 🤷♀️
Those four times he out qualified Lando includes Baku in which Lando was unfortunate with the yellow flag.
2 out of the 8 times he had a podium finish was because Norris was unfortunate in the race (Austria and Qatar he was not in a podium position until Lando suffered a setback) (focus is more that Lando had the better race pace in this situation and was in the better position)
I love Osc but this season was really underwhelming with such a fast car, also 0 poles in that McLaren has got me worrying. Hope he improves next season.
Considering this is Lando's first time fighting up the front, I see progression already, he ended it perfectly - We have'nt seen the ceiling for Lando yat!
Lewis had good times and mercedes
change the rules? why? to stop Max? Everyone can do the same as he does, so why change the rules? I don't understand.
I am seriously excited for the rookies next year. There will be chaos :D
We need to get rpm on this podcast
GR is definitely not WDC material!
I'm sure you know your stuff better than an F1 world champion lmao
The difference is Verstappen doesnt need the fastest car just a fast car.
Nico is the man
Congratulations to McLaren 👏👏👏 on their achievement. However, it is worth noting that the continuous praise from Sky pundits and their guests appears to overlook a critical factor in McLaren's success: Red Bull's performance was significantly hindered by relying on the contribution of only one driver. Piastri contributed 292 points compared to 152 by Perez 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂
Exactly
Leclerc and Sainz did NOT make that work ☠️
Nico needs to understand Lewis is not like him, never psychologically and mentally weak.
Excellent Show
Lewis was always fast in fp1 and fp2 and suddenly in qualifying not. Very straignt
Cos he couldn’t make another step and other drivers could. Its that simple. LH still hasn’t adapted his driving style to the ground effect cars! He still brakes too late and too hard which unsettles the car too much. His own mistake…
Nico, Max told you he was scared?
Nico Rosberg is the best pundit and commentator in the sport right now. His insight and honesty is what everyone else is lacking. He's not afraid to go there with or about anyone in the paddock and I love how he always wants to know what his colleagues think.
You have yet to mature in sports politics mate..
Nico chose not to interprete correctly "I am not fast anymore"
Imagine Rosberg listening to your opinion while being watched a thousands of people
The biggest problem McLaren and Ferrari will have next season that Max Verstappen and Red Bull won't, even without the fastest car and can take advantage off is that these teams don't have an outright No.1 driver. Soo often Ferrari and McLaren drivers will be taking points off each other anf if Max just maintains a good consistency then he will still be strong in defending his Championship.
When a competitive team doesn't have a No.1 driver, we end up having moments like Hungary and Monza 2024 where a driver in a championship chase will be shafted for the other driver.
One of the main reasons why Red Bull and Mercedes have had the most success in the last decade in the drivers Championship is because either they had the most dominant car or they had a very clear No.1 driver who they would push for the championship.
Vettel and Webber (Vettel is the No.1 driver and is treated like soo by the team!)
Hamilton and Rosberg ( Both are really good drivers and the Mercedes is just dominant and the competition is mainly between themselves!)
Hamilton and Bottas. (Hamilton is the outright No.1 driver and is treated like soo by the team and Bottas is a very compliant No.2 driver!)
Hamilton and Alonso ( No destined No.1 driver as per McLaren's culture and they both lose to Kimi in 2007)
Charles and Sainz (This line up was only going to successful in the WDC if the Ferrari was just soo dominant but not in just a competitive car or if Ferrari chose their No.1 xriver and push him for the championship)
Hamilton and Charles (Just lke the lineup of Charles and Sainz it's not going to be soo successful for WDC if they are not outright fastest or don't choose their leading driver!)
Lando and Oscar (This season just showed how they will be in each other's way for a championship charge. In Hungary Lando left 7 extra points for the WDC on the table, in Monza their fight in the first lap just invited a rival team in the mix and they both ended up losing the race to Charles!) (In Spa the team could have pit Lando on a one stop and it would have worked but by doing soo they would undercut Oscar and the team didn't want any blame for that, leaving more points for both Championship on the table again! Teams with such lineups need to have the balls to make bold decisions as to who they are pushing fpr the WDC success after some rounds in the season!!)