Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg has named who he believes is the ‘greatest’ Formula 1 driver of all time.

Rosberg began his F1 career with Williams in 2006 before moving to Mercedes for the 2010 season, with the German winning his one world title in 2016, becoming the only teammate to beat Lewis Hamilton over a full championship season at Toto Wolff’s side.

He enjoyed a star-studded career, racing with drivers many consider as the greatest of all time, including Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, allowing him to have a significant understanding and opinion on who is the ‘GOAT’ of the sport.

One of the key elements of his career was his rivalry with the Brit. The two had a fierce four-year rivalry which ended in Rosberg’s title win and then immediate retirement after.

Prior to this, he was teammates with Schumacher, also at Mercades, after he came out of retirement to race again in 2010 for three seasons.

Nico Rosberg on Lewis Hamilton vs Michael Schumacher Debate

Crispin Thruston Livepic via Reuters

Speaking to Sky Sports Germany after the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Rosberg described who he thinks is the greatest of all time.

It seemed last year as if Hamilton’s move to Ferrari might damage his legacy, but he is now in resurgent form, recording his 106th career win on Sunday. The win, his first for the Scuderia, catapulted him into contention for an eighth title with championship leader Kimi Antonelli retiring from the race.

“This is a fantastic day for the sport,” said Rosberg. “It’s historic. He’s the greatest of all time. It’s great that he turned things around, because last year looked so dark and bleak.

It wasn’t lost on Sky Sports Germany host Peter Hardenacke that Rosberg made the statement while standing next to Ralf Schumacher, Michael’s brother.

Schumacher will always be ‘light years’ ahead of Hamilton, Ralf responded, because he built a Ferrari dynasty from ‘scratch.’

He won five straight titles at Maranello between 2000 and 2004 – the most dominant run F1 has ever seen – with the Prancing Horse having only had one champion since.

With Rosberg first driving in Formula One in 2006, he, therefore, never faced Schumacher at his absolute best, helping him win the overall points head-to-head 324-197 across their three years together. On the other hand, he arguably took on Hamilton in his prime before retiring at the end of the 2016 season just days after winning his one and only F1 world championship title.

One F1 driver is reportedly ‘under pressure‘ from his own father and considering his future following a poor start to the 2026 season.

Williams currently sit in eighth place – having recorded just 11 points this year – with the Barcelona weekend compounding the misery of their underwhelming 2026 season so far.

The Spanish circuit historically hasn’t favoured their car in a long time, which was further proved in their recent visit, where Alex Albon retired, and Carlos Sainz finished in 12th, two laps down.

Since the beginning of pre-season testing, it has been well documented that Williams’ car was overweight, but its problems go much further than just that.

Sainz said the deficit through medium and high-speed corners was partly down to weight, but more significantly down to a lack of downforce compared to rivals.

The Spaniard called it a realisation that Williams are much further from their target than expected and that it was ‘time to go back to the drawing board.’

Seven races in, Williams are closer to the bottom of the table than the top of it, and the gap to the cars they’re nominally racing against is not closing, and the underperformance of the team this year has led to one of their drivers seriously considering his future with the team.

Driver Considering His Future After Poor Start to 2026 Season

Carlos Sainz looked to be making strong progress with Williams in 2025, having grabbed two podiums in Baku and Qatar respectively, but due to their poor ranking after the opening seven races, the Spaniard is reportedly thinking about leaving the team.

According to a report from Blick, Sainz has ‘had enough’ of Williams, and with the team struggling to make progress under the new regulations, he is also ‘under pressure’ from his father, who is wanting his son to consider another team.

Multiple teams are keeping tabs on the 31-year-old, with Ferrari reportedly being open to signing Sainz and bringing him back to Maranello, despite their strong pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

McLaren is also an option amid Oscar Piastri‘s links regarding a possible move to Red Bull – but the Spaniard’s father has another option in mind.

Sainz ignored his father’s advice and turned down Audi before deciding to join Williams in 2024. Now, he is going to follow his father’s wishes and ‘finally try out’ for the German manufacturer.

However, Williams boss James Vowles insists that Sainz and Alex Albon have bought into the project and, should they want to leave, they will be open about it.

“The great thing with both is they have the same values I do, which is honesty, transparency,” Vowles stated. “So we have honest conversations, all the way from October last year, when I started to see problems, to January till March – and then here’s what we’re doing to fix this in this year.

“Because we have the same values in that honesty and transparency, it means that if they are considering anything else, they come to me and talk to me about it.”

An increasing number of professional footballers have been playing with deliberately cut holes in their socks. It’s become something of a growing trend in recent years, although not everyone is convinced it should be allowed.

Take legendary manager Jose Mourinho, for example. In February 2023, the Portuguese tactician criticised footballers who cut holes in their socks via an unexpected post on Instagram

The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers in football history, posted five black and white photos of unidentified players wearing ripped socks.He wrote:

More and more high-profile players appear to be following the new trend. Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham has been seen playing with ripped socks for his country, including during the Qatar World Cup and Euro 2024, and while representing his former club Borussia Dortmund.

Bellingham’s international teammatem Bukayo Saka, has also been spotted playing with ripped socks at the aforementioned major tournaments.

Brazilian superstar Neymar has also played with holes in his socks, as has former Manchester City star Kyle Walker. The number of holes cut in the socks varies from player to player. While some opt for one or two holes, others (like Walker) have played with multiple holes cut through the back of their socks.

One of the very first footballers spotted playing with ripped socks was former England full-back Danny Rose during the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia. Needless to say, the sight of Rose’s socks sparked plenty of confusion and bemusement from football fans on social media at the time.

Why Players Cut Holes in Their Socks

It’s certainly an unusual look, isn’t it? But tearing their socks apart prior to kick-off must have benefits – either real or psychological – for players, right? Otherwise, they surely wouldn’t do it.

Players are generally cutting holes in their socks to reduce the pressure on the calf muscles, which are often restricted due to the garment’s tightness.

Footballers with bulging leg muscles find socks particularly restrictive, resulting in effective blood flow and circulation becoming an issue, as well as breathability. Players are subsequently avoiding this problem by cutting holes in their socks.

Additionally, a Premier League club’s senior member of medical staff confirmed to talkSPORT: “Many players feel the current socks are too tight and compressive on their legs, and some of them relate this to getting cramp in their calves.”

That said, the medical expert suggested that the theory behind the slightly odd development in football kit is not backed up by ‘hard evidence’. As a result, they claimed that it could merely be a fashion statement that has picked up traction over the years.

“Some kit suppliers have adapted their socks to try and change the level of compression around the calf area,” the unnamed top flight staff member continued. “They’ll have designers looking at tweaks like this as they devise kits for the next season.”

Former Valencia player Ezequiel Garay was once ordered to change his socks after a La Liga referee decided his ripped pair did not befit the sporting dress code. But what do the laws of the game actually say when it comes to correct attire?

There’s nothing in the Football Association’s Laws of the Game stating that footballers must only wear socks without holes. Socks are listed among the basic compulsory equipment of every player, along with a jersey or shirt; shorts or truck suit trousers; shinguards, and footwear.

The referee has the power to ask a player to leave the playing area to correct his equipment if there are any infringements of this law.

Calls for a Ban

Like Mourinho, TV host Richard Keys, who is best remembered for his long spell with Sky Sports in the UK, isn’t a fan of footballers cutting holes in their socks.

In fact, during the Premier League clash between Chelsea and Manchester City, he called for a ban via X (formerly Twitter).

“Enough of this nonsense,” Keys wrote. “There’s no need for it. The Spanish have outlawed it (although Bellingham gets away with it). It’s time we did.” While the rules may eventually change, Premier League footballers are currently free to continue cutting their socks before games.

Gary Neville: ‘I’m Not Having It’

In an episode of Stick to Football, Gary Neville had his say on the matter and said he didn’t believe the practice was necessary.

Neville ranted: “The one where they cut the actual holes in the back of their socks, which actually I think looks ugly to start with, doesn’t make you look smart going onto a pitch. There was a thing at United – tuck your shirt in, make it look right. Tuck your shirt in and pull your socks up was actually a thing at United.

“I’m asking this question again. Why do players take the holes out of the back of their socks? Can I tell you why I’m a little bit skeptical about it… because in 2024, they have about 400 pairs of boots, they have everything made to measure. I’m not having that Nike or a sponsor of a kit don’t make them a slightly bigger pair of socks. I don’t get it.”