Nico Rosberg now believes ‘phenomenal’ five-pole driver is just as fast as Max Verstappen in qualifying

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Max Verstappen notched eight pole positions during the 2024 Formula 1 season to take his overall tally to 40. He sits fifth on the all-time list, 17 behind Sebastian Vettel.

Among active drivers, only Lewis Hamilton (first on 104) has set the pace in qualifying more times than Verstappen. But it may not be his greatest attribute.

In fact, championship runner-up Lando Norris actually matched Verstappen for total poles in 2024 (eight). Hamilton mocked Norris for his poor starts, which consistently scuppered magnificent qualifying efforts.

The consensus in the paddock is that, for the final two-thirds of the season, McLaren had the quickest package. Perhaps it’s only natural that Verstappen bagged just two poles in the last 13 Grands Prix (and lost both through penalties at that).

But it’s still noteworthy that he’s taken 23 more wins than he has poles. That suggests he’s won his four championships with a complete set of attributes, rather than relying on blistering pace over one lap.

Charles Leclerc and George Russell were the only drivers outside the top two to score multiple poles in 2024. Carlos Sainz got on the board in Mexico, while Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and Sergio Perez all missed out.

Nico Rosberg says George Russell is as quick as Max Verstappen over one lap

Russell finished sixth in the championship, 192 points off Verstappen, but he ranked third for pole positions. His poles in Canada, Great Britain, Las Vegas and Qatar took his career tally to five.

Even though that’s only an eighth of what Verstappen has managed, 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg believes there’s nobody better than Russell over one lap. His advantage over Hamilton this year supports the point.

He won the qualifying head-to-head by a headline-grabbing score of 19-5. No driver has ever performed that well against the seven-time world champion on a Saturday.

This is part of the reason why Rosberg sees Russell as title material. But he’s urged him to be less ‘aggressive’ with his car setup to ensure he doesn’t lose any long-run performance.

Rosberg told the Sky Sports F1 podcast: “George can win the world championship if Mercedes gives him a decent car. In qualifying, there’s no-one faster than him. I would say there would be some people maybe equal – like Verstappen et cetera. But he’s phenomenal in qualifying.

“I think sometimes there’s a little bit missing still in race pace. I wonder if maybe he goes too aggressive. You can always do that one step too aggressive where in qualifying it’s ultra-rapid, but it does cost you in the race.”

Mercedes realised why George Russell was beating Lewis Hamilton so often in 2024

Hamilton and Russell entered their last race as teammates in Abu Dhabi level on total points (from the start of 2022 onwards). The former eeked ahead with his impressive last-lap overtake, securing fourth place and demoting Russell to fifth.

Hamilton proved he was Mercedes’ ‘best’ driver in that moment, Rosberg says. While he lost out this year, he can claim the overall bragging rights.

Mercedes believe Russell is particularly strong in qualifying, and also think Hamilton suffered from his subconscious awareness that he was about to leave the team. Those two factors combined may explain the glaring deficit.

Russell is a three-time race-winner but he’s yet to fully shed the ‘Mr Saturday’ moniker. That shows that single-lap pace has always been his forte, but he’s still lacking something compared to the very best during the races.