Former Grand Prix winner Jean Alesi believes Nico Rosberg is “very close” to triple world champion team-mate Lewis Hamilton in terms of raw performance.
Since joining Mercedes in 2013, the Briton has generally had the upper hand over his former karting rival, securing 22 race wins to Rosberg’s 13. The German also had to settle for second in the Drivers’ championship the past two seasons, with Hamilton even sealing the title with three events to spare last year.
Rosberg ended the 2015 campaign on a high though, as he claimed six pole positions on the trot and won the final three grands prix. His tally could have actually been better but for mechanical failures in Italy and Russia – the second occurring while he was leading – and a late-race mistake in Austin.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Alesi, who competed in Formula One from 1989 to 2001, feels the eventual 59-point gap in the standings does not reflect how Rosberg truly stacks up against Hamilton.
“I think the performance is very close between [them]," the ex-Ferrari star said. “Even if Hamilton won the championship, Rosberg was always there.
“And then the reliability problems made a big difference. Both of them were really competitive.”
Further evidence of the Mercedes drivers’ evenly matched speed can be found in their qualifying record, with Hamilton having 23 poles to his name and Rosberg 21 over their first three years together with the double world champions.
Key dates for the 2016 F1 season
Playing the joker: Sebastian Vettel
Technical feature: All of the 2015 F1 steering wheels
Use the red tabs on either side of the screen to scroll through more Formula One news and features
