Rosberg warns 'untouchable' Verstappen not to get 'complacent'

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Max Verstappen continued his relentless run of success in Hungary, but 2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg believes the Red Bull driver has now reached a point where he could become vulnerable to complacency.

At the Hungaroring last weekend, Verstappen claimed his ninth win of 2023 and his seventh consecutive victory, equaling Rosberg's similar winning streak that the former Mercedes charger achieved across the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Verstappen is fast-approaching the nine-race unbroken success enjoyed by Sebastian Vettel during his banner championship year with Red Bull in 2013.

But Rosberg suggests that Verstappen's remarkable track record could instill a sense of "complacency" should the flying Dutchman lose focus on the job at hand.

"He generally needs to be careful that he doesn’t get complacent," Rosberg said on the Sky Sports F1 podcast.

"He's in such an incredible flow where no one can touch him, and that's usually when there's a risk of getting complacent, and you lose a bit of motivation.

Read also: Newey urging Red Bull to 'keep pushing', not fall asleep

"So he just needs to be a bit careful of that. But I don't see it happening.

"Because his state of mind is phenomenal and just, he's so focused, and so in the zone all the time. It's like art. It's amazing."

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Rosberg acknowledges that Verstappen and Red Bull's enduring supremacy has killed the fight at the front of the field. But that takes nothing away from the two-time world champion's merits insists the German.

"I'm one of the people that can best judge his performance at the moment and the level that he's driving at," added Rosberg.

"Yes, it doesn't exactly make for the most exciting races at the very front but he's so deserving because it's incredible the level that he's at that, so close to perfection all the time.

"You've got to compare to the teammate, look where Sergio Perez is.

"I mean, his best Qualifying result in the last six Grands Prix was ninth on the grid [in Hungary].

"Sergio is a really good driver, he knows how to drive a racing car - but Max is just extraordinary."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.