Nico Rosberg Calls Lewis Hamilton ‘Soft’ for Allowing Max Verstappen Overtake at French GP

The French Grand Prix concluded with Max Verstappen managing to best Lewis Hamilton. The Dutchman made the most of a 2-stop strategy to steadily hunt down the reigning champion.

In the end, the Red Bull driver overtook the Mercedes star on the penultimate lap to win the race. Admittedly, Hamilton’s former teammate Nico Rosberg was surprised at the lack of resistance from the Briton.

He said, “Unusual from Lewis, I mean close the damn door. Usually Lewis is like the best 1 to 1 racer and I’m surprised he didn’t try it. At least try, and then brake late and try and keep to the outside. Its all a bit soft there from Lewis.”

In the end, the Dutch driver managed to extend his championship lead. Furthermore, he firmly established himself as a major threat to Hamilton.

The Mercedes driver is aiming for a record-breaking 8th Formula One world championship. However, he is not exactly doing a good job of it at the moment.

Can Lewis Hamilton bounce back from the loss?

Theoretically, Hamilton definitely has the capability to win. At the start of the race when Verstappen ran wide, many figured that it was all over for the Red Bull driver.

Therefore, this was Hamilton’s race to lose, and he surprisingly did lose it. This was largely thanks to a strategic masterstroke from Red Bull on a two-stop strategy.

Without a doubt, the outfit was not taking any chances after Verstappen’s tire blowout in Baku. However, Mercedes evidently felt that they could make a 1-stop strategy work for them.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, and Valtteri Bottas was rather incensed about it. Now, all they can do is sit and rue what could have been and then regroup in Austria and Styria.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have performed well there in the past and will hope to regain lost ground.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton Urges Mercedes F1 to ‘Dig Deep’ or Concede Defeat To Red Bull at French GP