Nico Rosberg has joined the list of top names to heap praise on the two British F1 newcomers, Lando Norris and George Russell, this week.

Rosberg sensationally beat Lewis Hamilton to the Drivers’ championship in 2016 after an incredibly tense year culminated in a dramatic showdown in the desert in Abu Dhabi, with the German clinching the championship by just five points.

Champion Rosberg famously retired from Formula One just five days later, however, after a year of mental games and non-stop pressure from British superstar Hamilton had obviously taken a great toll on him.

Speaking as a brand ambassador at the launch of Heineken’s new sponsorship deal with Formula E this week, the 33-year-old had some very positive words to say about F1’s latest additions, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Williams’ George Russell.

The British duo will line up alongside Hamilton on the grid at the start of next season and Rosberg thinks they can be future stars. 

“British Formula One fans should be very excited about the two ‘sensational’ young drivers entering the sport next year," he told the Daily Mail.

“Lando Norris is a great British sensation, everyone is going to have a lot of fun watching him.”

Rosberg’s words of praise are not without foundation, either, as the two young Brits have caused quite a stir this year in feeder series, Formula 2.

George Russell, 20, is top of the standings with 248 points, with fellow Brit Lando Norris, 18, third with 197. Norris will be hoping to clinch second place at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi next month.

Nico Rosberg went one step further in his comparisons to his former arch-rival - “Eventually they might one day inherit the support of the British fans, when Lewis stops.”

This years’ 2018 world championship saw only one British driver on the grid in Hamilton. Jenson Button retired in 2016, but featured in one race at Monaco in 2017 for the absent Fernando Alonso, and fellow Englishman Jolyon Palmer was dropped by Renault after the Japanese GP in 2017.

Speaking of this year's world championship, Rosberg praised Hamilton for what has turned out to be another masterclass in handling the pressure.

He added: "Lewis has done just another amazing year, driving well without mistakes, and his opposition has not been able to bring the fight because they have been making too many mistakes.”

A slew of mistakes have cost Vettel and Ferrari dearly this year. With four races left on the calendar, Hamilton can clinch the championship this weekend in Austin, Texas, if he outscores his German rival by just eight points.

Whatever the result this weekend, there are plenty for British fans to look forward to in 2019 in the form of rising superstars Norris and Russell.