For 2006 - 8 Nico Rosberg wasn't really registering on my radar. But from 7 onwards I've really gotten back into being a big follower of the sport (no prizes for guessing why) and from 2009 onwards I've really started to follow his progress and now he is one of my favourite drivers and I genuinely believe he is one of the best on the current very competative grid. He has won the Formula BMW championship and famously won the GP2 series first time out and become the youngest driver to set the fastest lap in his 1st race at 20 years old. (There is 1 youngest record at least that the finger can't break). I think I am right in saying that except for his debut season in 2006 he has never been beaten by a teammate - not saying much in the case of Nakajima but it does of course include Wurz and Schumacher. He pulled of the notable achievement of scoring all of williams points haul in 2009, although given his teammate was Nakajima it is unclear just how much of an achiement that is. He was also the king of practice that year topping session after session............PR stunt? I was very impressed with his 2010 season, especially after he pulled back to back podiums and another later in the year and doubled Schumachers point haul while he was still getting back to grips with F1. He was mr. consistent again in 2011. He was almost unlucky in a way, driving a good qualifying lap to put him just behind the leading 3 teams, get a good start, then be televised with McLarens and ferraris overtaking him like Turkey, while Schumacher would drive a slow qualifying lap and be televised pulling off overtakes. Nico's year was largely anonamous as he qualafied and finished where he should have been with ferrari well ahead on pace and the next slowest well behind. Anyway he has yet to win a race but has a good trio of advantages in his favour - He is young, only 26. He is experienced, 108 races and 6 seasons and he is fast/consistent. If he beats Schumacher again this year and Schu quits he should be able to make the Mercedes team his own and try and move forwards with them. Do you think he will be the next Nick Heidfeld or will he be a race winner or even a champion?
Good appraisal there Sea-Man. In a sense, Rosberg is F1's perennial 'unknown' isn't he? But it is not only your "radar" that he has tended to keep below. Rosberg is quick and tends to stay out of trouble; and as an individual out of the car, he is unassuming and pleasant; once again not exactly grabbing attention. In terms of F1, he is now possibly/probably in the top half a dozen or so drivers; but being teamed with Schumacher was one of the most unfortunate things which could have happened to him. Beating Schumacher is easy to dismiss as nothing special, whilst losing to him could have been catastrophic. Until Rosberg is teamed with a top driver, or starts winning consistently; he is likely to remain one of F1's biggest unknown quantities.
Yeah, I agree with all these points and this is now his seventh season. If he wants to be more than the new Heidfeld, he needs to start winning and to start winning he needs a winning car. Simple, isn't it? If only...
IMO, his problem is that he lacks the killer instinct that a top driver should have, he doesn't do anything to make you go "Wow". Not to take anything away from him, he's a good solid driver, and will regularly get points, but he's not a winner.
I agree that it is easy to get this impression. This is the enigma we call Rosberg: is our impression a direct consequence of his staying beneath the radar; or is it the reason for - or even the means by which - he is staying beneath the radar?
His Spa start was amazing, but other than that he is a solid - F1 driver. There is nothing from my point of view that shows that he can be a future champion. He has been consistent this season, and done worse in his points tally than last year, where his race craft advantage against Schumacher in 2010 could be seen from a mile off. 2011 has been a bummer for him in ways. And I don't think any right-minded F1 fan can predict what will happen for him in the future. An Unknown.
I'd say that his lack of killer instinct is the reason he stays below the radar. he's going to get found out otherwise. What i don't understand is that he is teammates with one of the most aggressive drivers in the history of F1, who's made more overtaking manouvers than i've had cooked dinner's, yet none of Schumacher's natural aggression has rubbed off on him. Maybe Nico is too laid back, a similar case to Jenson Button in the past, beofre he discovered his killer instinct.
Like i said in comment #1, he is basically shaping up to be Nick Heidfeld MK2. A good solid pointscorer, but not a race winner.
I agree with most on here, I find him quick on an empty track, and he seems fairly mistake free, he'd make a good solid number 2 imo, but I can't see him winning a WDC, unless the new Merc is something extremely special.
I really think his value should go up for constantly beating Schumacher but instead its Schu's reputation that seems to have gone up after last year. Bit unfair on Rosberg you'd have to say. He showed some killer instinct in Abhu Dhabi forcing his way past Schumacher and in turkey coming back at Massa a few times in the slower car. Mercedes was sort of in no mans land last year, too far behind the frontrunners and too far ahead of the midfield so there wasn't really much for him to do
But even so, if you gave last years Merc to Kamui Kobayashi, he might do something useful with it, Rosberg just steadily drove around, not really doing anything wrong, but not really doing anything interesting either.
I tend to agree with you, this is how he appears but on the other hand he's never had a car to do better in, hence Cosi's 'enigma'. Wouldn't we have said the same of Button pre-2009?
No, because Button showed moments of brilliance. he had actually won a race, unlike Nico. I want Nico to win a race, i just don't see it happening.
True but can you see anyone outside of McLaren, Ferrari and Red-Bull winning anyhting in the forseeable future? Even Raikkonen?
It's not just about winning. Rosberg had an opportunity to win the 2008 singapore GP, but blew it by crossing the pit lane exit, and getting a drive through.
Is it just me or does Nico let's a position go too easily. He doesn't defend. If Michael defend's a position with his life then Nico must surely be the exact opposite.
I really do fear for Rosberg, he went to Mercedes at the wrong time and has been treated fairly poorly I don't doubt for the sin of not being a past-it seven-time world champion. He's clearly talented. Future WDC? I don't see it, but he clearly HAS the talent. His occasional podium performances and Heidfeld-like consistency are testament to this. But I fear that he is too like Heidfeld or Barichello - always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Depends where he goes this year. If he stays at Mercedes it depends on who's alongside him - unless he is driver #1, I see him forever being an unfulfilled talent.
This is significant, I think. There is a shrinking pool of possibility for who can win now. Even Ferrari struggled last year. One hope I have for this year is that this pool will start to spread again.
Thats the problem with fixing things that aren't broken. How many drivers won outside of the top 2 teams in 2008 again?
