Nico Rosberg isn’t on the same level as team-mate Lewis Hamilton according to former driver David Coulthard, who highlighted the German’s recent defeat as evidence of this.
Whilst Rosberg secured pole position for the race – in part thanks to a red flagged qualifying session – he was unable to fend off Hamilton at the start who was able to draw alongside due to Rosberg’s lesser power and then muscle his way past at the second corner.
Coulthard believes Hamilton’s aggression is what Rosberg lacks and he will therefore never be champion in the same team as the Briton.
“Hamilton has been a winning machine this year,” the Scot told BBC Sport. “Nico Rosberg is a talented racing driver and without Hamilton in the team he would be world champion.
“But, for me, F1 is not about just being a champion, it is about putting yourself against the best and finding out whether you are capable of beating them – and then becoming champion.”
Breaking down exactly why Japan was a good indicator of this, Coulthard said: “Rosberg was slow off the line from pole, but he still had an opportunity to fend Hamilton off into Turn Two and he was not able to make it stick.
“He went off the track because Hamilton drove him off the track by not giving him a line – which is perfectly legitimate.
“If Rosberg had gone off the track because he braked too late in an attempt to keep Hamilton behind, that would have showed aggression and intent.”
It’s not all bad news though, as Coulthard was impressed by Rosberg’s daring move on Valtteri Bottas, but his unwillingness to do the same against Hamilton has left some thinking Rosberg is worried it could end in a repeat of Belgium 2014.
“He [Hamilton] is prepared to put things on the line and deal with the consequences and, good as Rosberg’s pass was on Williams’s Valtteri Bottas in Japan, we have not seen Nico do that against Lewis.
“He can drive poles, take wins, and make passes. But he needs to be able to do it against everyone, and from lights out to chequered flag.”
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