Rosberg: “Hamilton the greatest, Mercedes too considerate of Russell”

Preconceptions aren’t what they used to be either: for years people said that the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya only hosted dreadfully boring Grands Prix, and now we’ve been treated to a real feast.

Lewis Hamilton secured a flawless maiden GP victory with Ferrari, and the mood in the paddock after the thrilling Formula 1 race was: apart from the losing Mercedes team, everyone is happy for the Italians.

Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg followed the action on the ground for our colleagues at Sky, as always multilingual – the 40-year-old from Wiesbaden shuttled between Sky Germany, Sky Italy and Sky UK.

No one needs to explain to the 2016 champion how Lewis Hamilton ticks. His rivalry with the Briton back in the Mercedes days is legendary. But Rosberg, a 23-time Grand Prix winner, appreciates what Lewis has achieved in Catalonia.

Rosberg says: “This is a fabulous day for our sport. It’s historic. Hamilton is the greatest of all time. It’s great that he’s now turned things round with Ferrari, because things looked so bleak last year.”

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“In 2025, it felt as though Lewis was almost on his way home; he could have said at any moment: ‘I’m quitting.’ No one could have blamed him. But he fought his way through, now feels comfortable in the car, and you can sense a fresh, positive dynamic.”

Apart from Hamilton’s victory, the big talking point at the Barcelona GP was yet another fierce duel between the two Mercedes drivers. Nico says: “In qualifying, George Russell can be as good as anyone, even as good as Verstappen. In the race, I wonder if there isn’t something missing. Kimi Antonelli seems to drive very strongly in the race. Today, Kimi was stronger again. That’s a huge setback for George.”

And Rosberg criticises his former employer Mercedes: “I think Mercedes was too considerate of George today. As soon as the team risks losing the win, you have to back one driver and tell the other to hold back. Mercedes could and should have done that earlier today.”