Days After F1 Championship Win, Nico Rosberg Announces Retirement
Rosberg shocked Formula One with the announcement that he was retiring.
advertisement
Nico Rosberg stunned the Formula One world on Friday with the shock announcement that he was retiring – only days after winning his first world championship with Mercedes.
"From the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became world champion," the German said in a statement on Facebook.
"On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time," the 31-year-old added.
After losing out to Lewis Hamilton in the previous two years, Rosberg made it third time lucky on 27 November when he clinched his maiden title with a second-place finish behind the triple world champion at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
With this Formula One championship, Nico Rosberg became only the second son of a champion to take the title since 1950.
Rosberg made his Formula One race debut with Williams in Bahrain in 2006 – scoring points by coming in seventh place and setting the fastest lap – after becoming the first GP2 champion the previous season.
He joined Mercedes – who had bought champions Brawn GP – for the 2010 season and partnered seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)