Rosberg names three future potential champions with Perez ‘all over the place’
Nico Rosberg believes that Lando Norris, George Russell and Charles Leclerc all have what it takes to become world champions in the future. The retired former Mercedes star is the only driver not named Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen to have won the Drivers’ Championship since 2013.
The current grid contains three world champions, although Fernando Alonso’s two titles came all the way back in 2005 and 2006 during his stint with Renault. Many drivers, however, are believed by the wider F1 community to have the potential to fight for World Championships.
Speaking to City A.M. about the future world champions on the grid, Rosberg highlighted three names. “I mean there’s Lando Norris, there’s George and Charles Leclerc,” he stated.
Of the three drivers suggested by Rosberg, only Leclerc has enjoyed a semblance of a title fight thus far in his career. The Monegasque driver raced into a substantial championship lead at the start of the 2022 season after winning two and recording one second-place finish in the first three rounds of the campaign.
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However, Verstappen quickly gained a grip on the championship lead, winning five of the next six races as a combination of poor reliability and Ferrari’s strategy mistakes buried Leclerc’s title challenge before the summer break had arrived.
Norris and Russell have enjoyed differing 2023 campaigns with the former cementing his name in the conversation for the best drivers on the grid after notching six second-place finishes and one third-place finish in the final 13 races of the year.
Russell, meanwhile, has struggled in his sophomore year at Mercedes, although a strong comeback drive in Qatar, coupled with his second podium of the campaign in the Abu Dhabi season finale have reminded fans why he is rated so highly at Brackley.
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Rosberg was also impressed by the performances of the reigning world champion in 2023, explaining: “We have to know that it’s not really the dominance of a team, it’s the dominance of a driver. If you look at where Sergio Perez was, he was all over the place.
“We just have to respect that the performance from Verstappen is historic and the greatest seasonal performance of all time. And he’s already easily nearing to be a top-five driver of all time. It’s phenomenal.
“I do hope that other teams or drivers can give Verstappen a run for his money. I expect people like Lewis and George to be the best candidates, and of course, McLaren if they’re able to continue their progress.”
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