Rosberg predicts Verstappen vs Leclerc rivalry won't be rosy; 'Lack of drama surprising'

2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg believes the friendly rivalry between reigning champion Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc will not last, as things between the two are inevitably going to boil at some point of the season. The former Mercedes driver himself had a heated and fierce rivalry with former teammate Lewis Hamilton during the 2014-16 seasons. The rivalry ended when Rosberg decided to hang up his boots.

Rosberg explains how Verstappen vs Leclerc rivalry may pan out

While speaking to Sky Sports F1, Nico Rosberg said, "Honestly, that [lack of drama between Verstappen and Leclerc] surprises me massively because they have gone wheel-to-wheel so much and so intensely. And that there’s never even been kind of a discussion moment or anything has been a huge surprise."

The 2016 F1 champion then went to the extent of stating, "I’ll bet probably even my house that it’s not going to last for the whole season with the amount of times they go wheel-to-wheel. There must come a moment where there’s going to be some real baggage or different opinions and some kind of incident or something. Let’s see. I mean, as a fan, of course, we want to see things heating up a little bit more, but I’m sure we’ll get that."

Max Verstappen wins French GP & extends championship lead

Defending Formula One champion Max Verstappen won the French Grand Prix on Sunday after Charles Leclerc crashed out as Ferrari's woes resurfaced, falling 63 points behind the Red Bull driver in the championship. Lewis Hamilton finished second in his 300th race — securing a fourth-straight podium — while George Russell overtook Sergio Perez's Red Bull following a virtual safety car restart late in the race to give Mercedes its first podium double of the season.

Leclerc's race ended on Lap 18 when he lost the rear of his car coming out of Turn 11, spinning 360 degrees before crashing into a tire wall. Leclerc could not speak at first, breathing heavily in his helmet before telling his team the mishap was caused by another throttle problem. It was the third time he did not finish a race this season — Ferrari's seventh in 12 races — and came two weeks after a throttle problem almost cost him victory at the Austrian GP.

(Inputs from AP)