Nico Rosberg makes Lewis Hamilton prediction after breakthrough Ferrari F1 win
Nico Rosberg weighs in on Lewis Hamilton's F1 form turnaround and first Ferrari win.
Nico Rosberg believes Lewis Hamilton’s first Formula 1 victory with Ferrari will only add fuel to the fire for his former team-mate and title rival.
41-year-old Hamilton brilliantly won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix to end a near-two year wait for victory, and a similar length win drought for Ferrari.
The result leaves Hamilton second in the drivers’ championship and just 41 points behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli, whose Mercedes broke down in the closing stages of the race in Barcelona. Antonelli’s team-mate George Russell is nine points further back in third place.
Rosberg, who battled Hamilton for consecutive world titles between 2014 and 2016 during their spell as Mercedes team-mates, was delighted to see his former nemesis return to the top step of the podium after a turbulent start to life at Ferrari.
“I can honestly enjoy it with him. And I just congratulated him. I was very happy to congratulate him because it's awesome,” Rosberg, who beat Hamilton to the 2016 title before sensationally retiring, told Sky Sports F1 after the race in Barcelona.
"I really felt for the struggles he went through as he started his time with Ferrari. It was horrible to watch. And now he's just thriving so well and flying, and confident, and enjoying it, and that's just awesome. This win is historic. It's spectacular. So, a great day for him, for the sport.
"He's also entering into this positive flywheel. You get positive results, you get more motivated, you get happier, you work harder. So this is going to propel him even higher, together with his team. So it's an incredible momentum at the moment over there.”
Hamilton’s victory ended a run of Mercedes domination that saw the Silver Arrows win the opening six races of the season.
In a separate chat with F1.com, Rosberg was asked whether Hamilton and Ferrari can dream of more and potentially fight for the world championship in 2026.
“They can, yeah,” the German answered. “They should, and they can.”
All eyes will be on Hamilton and Ferrari to see whether they can continue their impressive form when the 2026 season resumes with the eighth round of the campaign at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
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