Sky Sports pundit Nico Rosberg calls Red Bull’s Max Verstappen the most ‘annoying’ F1 driver he ever faced during his career
- Max Verstappen is one of the top Formula One racers in the world today
- Nico Rosberg has branded his the most annoying F1 driver he ever faced
- Rosberg won one F1 World Championship in 2016 before retiring straight away
- Verstappen is yet to win the title but is one of the favourites for the 2020 season
Nico Rosberg has praised Max Verstappen‘s role and influence in F1 – but has called the Red Bull racer one of the most annoying rivals he faced in Formula One.
The Sky Sports pundit’s career in motorsport was coming to an end when Verstappen’s reputation was growing, but there was still enough time for the pair to clash during the F1 season.
And while Rosberg is full of admiration for the 22-year-old, the German has given an insight into the minor clashes between the pair over the years.
Nico Rosberg (right) has named Max Verstappen (left) as the most annoying F1 driver he faced
When asked about Verstappen, Rosberg told the Sky F1 Vodcast: ‘I’m a huge fan of his, he’s an amazing driver and so good for F1, so much fun to watch.’
‘But my god, having him around in the races! The risk of a DNF for myself, it increases like ten-fold.
‘On my way to the championship, I had him around me every race in the last four races. He passed me I think in three of those four races, in a tussle.’
The former Mercedes racer had a top career in F1, achieving 23 Grand Prix wins and 57 podium placings and winning the Formula One World Championship in 2016 just before his retirement.
Rosberg had a superb career in F1 and retired after winning the World Championship in 2016
Meanwhile Verstappen is widely tipped to win the Formula One World Championship this year
A year before Rosberg won the World Championship, Verstappen became the youngest racer in the sport when he took part in the 2015 Australian Grand Prix at just 17 years of age.
Verstappen won his first Grand Prix at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix – when Rosberg was still racing – and has added seven more wins since the German retired.
The Belgian-Dutch driver is known as one of the top F1 personalities in the world and while the Red Bull racer has yet to register a World Championship win, he was tipped as one of the favourites for the prize in this year’s Formula One season.
However, the coronavirus outbreak has delayed the start of the 2020 campaign, with the first nine Grand Prix races postponed due to the global virus crisis.