The following weekend will see the drivers head to Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix, where the Red Bull man will be keen to win in his home country.
Those two races should give Verstappen a good chance of overtaking Hamilton in the standings but, whatever happens, Rosberg can only see the pair’s rivalry building from here.
He said: “There is a basis of respect, but we’re not at the destructive phase yet. I think it’s just building up. Now let’s see where it goes.
“They could have also already collided in Silverstone three corners before when they were going down the straight. You could have had a Webber/Vettel situation – remember when they collided in Turkey? It was very close.
“I mean, Max is hyper-aggressive, and Lewis has stopped backing out. So it’s going to be interesting for them to manage that.”
And, when asked who he thought would prevail come the end of the season, the German wasn’t willing to stick his neck out.
“It seems that the car performance just varies from one track to another. And it’s just so amazing for us, because you never know who’s going to win,” he said.