“Difficult mentally” - Rosberg recalls Hamilton battle amid Verstappen vs Perez

Max Verstappen is running away with the F1 2023 championship and the only other driver to win a race is his teammate Sergio Perez, who has since slipped away.

Rosberg and Hamilton both vied for the title in four seasons as Mercedes teammates, the German winning once and the Brit claiming two during that period.

“Verstappen is a phenomenal driver,” Rosberg was quoted by Marca. 

“For me it will be at the level of the most important names in history, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Hamilton... among the five or six best. 

“He is a phenomenon and the team has also given him a very good car, the best car.

“But you also see him with his teammates, they're all going strong and can never be close to him. 

“Now Perez, who is a good driver, I know him well, but it is impossible for him to be close to [Verstappen] and that is difficult for them mentally, to accept that the other is better. 

“I know this well because I've had the same thing with Hamilton, the complication of having a very fast driver alongside. 

“Some will say that it is not good for F1, because it is always the same one who wins. But sometimes it is.”

Asked if Red Bull could win every grand prix in 2023, Rosberg answered: “It seems so, right?

“The difficulty is that, for the moment, they only have one driver who can win all the races, the other one is always behind with many difficulties.

“That's why it's more complicated.”

Perez can alleviate the pressure piled on by Daniel Ricciardo’s return to F1 with a good performance at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Rosberg abruptly retired after his sole F1 championship in 2006 and is still just 38, four years younger than the oldest driver on the grid.

“I'm a big fan of Fernando Alonso, at 42 years old he's going to be driving at his level now... it's phenomenal, incredible,” Rosberg said. 

“He's a gladiator, it's fascinating to watch him fight Hamilton and Verstappen. 

“He gives it his all at every lap, and I have always had a lot of respect for him.”