Lewis Hamilton sealed yet another championship in the 2020 season, taking his tally to seven. The sheer dominance with which he won yet another title was fascinating to watch on some accounts.

Until very recently, it was not this easy for the Briton to take home the trophies. Considering he had a fiercely competitive teammate in Nico Rosberg, it made life just that bit tough for Hamilton.

Sky Sports F1 expert Martin Brundle outlines a few of his thoughts on the rivalry between the pair. The former F1 driver also believes Hamilton faced a bit more vulnerability during that phase.

Lewis Hamilton was still ‘more than good enough’ to keep winning F1 titles, says Brundle

Brundle stated, “Nico was quick enough, resilient enough, and wasn’t subservient at all. I think he challenged Lewis in some ways that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with.”

Hamilton has faced plenty of competitive drivers in his 14-seasons career in Formula 1. Undoubtedly, Rosberg’s strategy and approach to the races threw Hamilton off his game that bit in the period between 2013 and 2016.

The ex-Benetton driver continued, “I think there was a phase where he was reinventing himself a bit, finding out who he was. I think there was possibly a lack of stability in Lewis’ life that showed up every so often, and he was possibly more vulnerable through that phase.”

“But still more than good enough to win everything,” concluded Brundle.

Hamilton-Rosberg pairing proved to be a modern-day rivalry in Formula 1

Ever since Mercedes mastered the trick to building a successful car in the turbo-hybrid era, both drivers expressed an intention to become the best. Naturally, the competition between Rosberg and Hamilton escalated to a whole new level.

The 35-year-old often got the better of Rosberg, but the 2016 season was different for many reasons. It was possibly the first time that the German put up a real title challenge. In the end, he even beat Hamilton to the trophy.

Looking back on those years, Hamilton will credit his teammate for some of those valuable lessons. For without those, the Mercedes No.44 may never have become the dominant seven-time champion that we all very well know today.