Rosberg: Even if Hamilton is The GOAT at some point you get slower

Rosberg, who famously beat Hamilton to the 2016 F1 world title, battled the Briton all year long in one of the most dominant cars in history – the Mercedes W07. Winner of 19 of the season’s 21 Grands Prix, the car also carried Rosberg to his one and only world title, which in turn triggered his shock retirement from F1 just days after the Abu Dhabi finale.

Nico and Lewis never seemed to bury the hatchet, so it came as no surprise when 39-year-old Rosberg cheekily questioned whether Hamilton, now 40, has lost speed with age, which could explain his struggles at Ferrari

Rosberg ventured: "It’s a little bit of a continuation of his form from last year, where there was already a bit of a dip there. George had the upper hand and was beating him at Mercedes. Now it’s kind of continued a little bit. He’s just a little bit lacking here and there, especially in ultimate pace in qualifying."

Rosberg pointed out: “We know Charles is an incredible qualifier, so Lewis has to find a little bit more there. Even if he’s the greatest of all time, at some point, you are going to get a little bit slower – that’s age-related. And when you’re 40, it’s going to happen sooner rather than later.

“So the question is whether that age has come where you start to get a little bit slower. Even a tenth makes a huge difference in this sport, especially when you’re up against some of the greatest from the new generation, such as Leclerc, who’s considered one of the absolute best qualifiers out there,” explained Rosberg.

Stats show that Hamilton’s victory in the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Race has been his only highlight in a third of the season so far, during which Ferrari simply have not had a car to match McLaren and Red Bull at the front.

The Scuderia are still without a Grand Prix win this season, heading into Round 9 this weekend in Barcelona. In FP1 on Friday, Hamilton finished the session in P3 on the timing screens, a tad quicker than Leclerc in P4.