Ecclestone wouldn't put Rosberg amongst the greats

Cape Town - Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone explained that although World Champion Nico Rosberg will be fondly remembered. he isn’t up there with the sport’s greats.

During an interview with the Hindustan Times in India, Ecclestone was asked to compare Rosberg to multiple World Champions Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.

Ecclestone, though, refused to put the former Mercedes driver in the same bracket as them,

"Well, let’s just say he is a world champion," he said during the interview.

“The other names that you mentioned (Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso) have obviously won more than a few times and have achieved more.

“So I would just call Nico a world champion and nothing else."

However, the 86-year-old explained Rosberg will be missed on the paddock.

"Okay, not as popular as Lewis but Nico was a very popular driver. So his absence is certainly not good for Formula 1," he said.

He also gave his thoughts on the vacant Mercedes seat, but refused to advise the Silver Arrows on who should get the drive.

"A lot of people are linking Alonso with the Mercedes drive but I would like to wait and see what decision the team takes. He is a fine driver without a doubt," he concluded.