Nico Rosberg won’t beat Lewis Hamilton to the championship whilst they’re driving the same car, according to 16-time race winner Sir Stirling Moss.
The Briton is confident his fellow countryman will secure the title – his third – this season, having already opened up a 27-point lead after just four races.
That’s damning for Rosberg who has only beaten Hamilton once since the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix, 11 races ago.
“I think he probably will [win this year],” Moss told Reuters. “He’s got the right engine. You’ve got to have a Mercedes to win. He’s got that, he’s got the skill.
“He has a lot of experience. He’s been around quite a while now. I don’t think Nico will ever beat him, actually,” he added.
Should Hamilton go on to secure a third title, as he predicts, Moss reckons he will finally be considered an “all-time great” driver, a title he isn’t yet worthy of according to the 85-year-old.
“I don’t think he’s a great yet,” he told the Telegraph. “He’s slightly less valued than someone like Jim Clark, but he’s certainly on the way.
“I would think if he clinches the title this year then he would be considered in the same… but you have to be very careful. Because him doing that is one thing, but what Clark did to get to the same stage is different. It’s very difficult to appraise it.”