2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg has named his standout driver from the 2021 F1 season.
The German has placed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the top of his personal list, which he detailed in a recent YouTube video.
Verstappen claimed his maiden F1 title earlier this month in Abu Dhabi, beating Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton following an intense season-long battle.
Rosberg hailed Verstappen for elevating his driving to a higher level this year and commended the Dutchman for his ability to perform under pressure.
“[He was] just phenomenal,” Rosberg said of Verstappen.
“The level in qualifying most of the time, the consistency throughout the whole year, the level he took against Lewis, who is probably the greatest of all time, in the Mercedes, in that dominant form, it was just off the charts.
“The level in the wheel to wheel racing, Lewis is the best in wheel to wheel racing but Verstappen, you have to say was even better.
“Just crazy. The level also during the most pressured moments, Verstappen almost gets better when the pressure is high.
“I got like three-tenths slower when the pressure was high, he gets like two-tenths faster, it’s crazy.
“I don’t know how he does it. If you take bad luck into consideration, he probably had a bit more bad luck.”
Rosberg’s former team-mate and rival Hamilton placed second on his list of top performers of the season.
“Epic season, a little bit more up and down, also because the car was a bit more up and down,” Rosberg said.
“Still, Valtteri beat him quite a few times in qualifying also, that’s why I put him two and Verstappen one. Nevertheless, an awesome job by Lewis.”
Rosberg put Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris equal on third, followed by Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso.
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