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Rosberg as good as Vettel, says Berger

ESPNF1 Staff
August 17, 2010 « Kovalainen mindful of Spa dangers | »
Nico Rosberg is now as good as Sebastian Vettel, according to Gerhard Berger © Getty Images
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Gerhard Berger doubts that Sebastian Vettel is currently the best German driver on the Formula One grid.

According to the former McLaren and Ferrari driver, there is nothing now to separate the Red Bull man from his young compatriot at Mercedes, Nico Rosberg.

"For me, Nico is on par with Vettel. He just needs the right car now to begin winning," Berger told Auto Motor und Sport. "He has shown this year that he makes very few mistakes, that his setup is usually right, and that he is mostly ahead of Michael Schumacher. If Rosberg and Vettel were sitting in identical cars, I would not know who to put my money on."

Another young German to have caught Berger's eye this season is Force India driver Adrian Sutil. And it was not something the Austrian expected.

"Last year I was laughing at him. I would never have believed he has this much potential. His speed is tremendous, and his mistakes have reduced dramatically. For me, with Rosberg, he is the surprise of the season."

Berger also sees a bright future ahead for GP2 champion Nico Hulkenberg after a year of learning the ropes in his rookie Formula One season.

"He is in a learning phase. He makes many more mistakes than Vettel and Rosberg did when they began, but Sutil was the same. I think Hulkenberg's mistakes are normal for a first year. If everything goes right, he is almost at the level of Barrichello - and that's a compliment.

"Barrichello is certainly the best man of the second league, and with his vast experience he doesn't make mistakes."

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