2016 world champion, who was involved in an intense rivalry with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg believes that defeating Hamilton was easier for Max Verstappen compared to him.
Rosberg was Hamilton’s teammate from the 2013 to 2016 season as they fought the title battle against each other.
Their rivalry took a brutal turn as the duo collided in Belgium in 2014 and Spain and Austria in 2016. The Briton even tried to hold his teammate back during the 2016 title finale in Abu Dhabi to snatch the title from Rosberg.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crash out of Spanish GP#SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/HMKbGHNGab
— Jean-Marc P. Nguejip (@jeanmarcpn) May 15, 2016
Days after clinching his first title in an intense season, Rosberg announced his retirement from the sport. Team boss Toto Wolff admitted that having two drivers fighting at such a maximum level was untenable for the team.
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Max Verstappen has things easier for him
The 2016 champion believes that Verstappen not having a Hamilton-like figure as a teammate in Sergio Perez has made things easier for him.
Comparing his situation with Verstappen in his battle with Hamilton, the German said that during his time, the Mercedes F1 team had to maintain a neutral attitude between him and Hamilton.
He revealed that there was a strange atmosphere in the garage and that made it harder for the duo to come closer together.
He believes that things should be easier for Verstappen as he is seen as the #1 driver by everyone and there is a calmer atmosphere in the Red Bull camp.
The Dutchman and the 7-time world champion had intentional crashes
BBC sports commentator Jack Nicholls believes that the crashes between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen could have been intentional in an effort not to give the other a psychological advantage.
During their rivalry in the 2021 season, Hamilton and Verstappen were involved in multiple extreme crashes at Silverstone and Brazil, for instance.
An astonishing 
angle of the Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen crash#SkyF1 | #F1 pic.twitter.com/y9NGu4mqc8
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 14, 2021
Nicholls believes that it sometimes feels like Hamilton and Verstappen would rather have a crash than give up on the other one.
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