Lewis Hamilton possesses a greater natural talent behind the wheel than Michael Schumacher, according to 2016 Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg.
The German partnered both during his seven years at Mercedes and is therefore well positioned to assess the relative qualities of the two men with a combined 12 titles between them.
And in doing so Rosberg, who can boast of having beaten both drivers over a full season, claims Hamilton & Schumacher go about their racing very differently.
“Lewis probably has a bit more natural talent than Michael, Lewis has one of the greatest natural talents our sport has ever seen, so he makes the difference,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.
“In terms of work ethic, Schumacher was something else [whereas] things come very easily to Lewis naturally. Instinct, natural talent. Michael was the complete package.”
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It would appear though that the seven-time champion carries a greater aura as, even after four years away from F1, Rosberg admits discovering Schumacher was his teammate for 2010 evoked a bigger reaction.
“The first thought with Michael Schumacher? A little bit scared. Can I even compete?” he revealed. “Michael was a warrior. Every day after getting up, he would think: How do I make my teammate small?
“When I finally got the better of Michael, then came Lewis. At least I knew him from go-karts. He was not as alien to me as Michael.”
