Nico Rosberg to retire from F1 (!)

[bonjon1979]

Rosberg is fully entitled to put his family first like any Father and human being.

What might it tell us about a diminished Merc advantage next season?? Does he think the total domination is over?

Your hypothesis suggests that he needed a totally dominant car to win a championship and since he doesn't see it coming, he quits while he's ahead.

About the family first thing...

"I never give up, so if I'd finished second I would have gone for another year, for sure. Definitely,"

This doesn't scream family first.

He achieved all he ever wanted and his family sacrificed a lot, so why put them through it any more?

We all know (neutral fans of the sport and not drivers or teams) that Rosberg is not quite on a level of Hamilton so him deciding that now he's scaled he heights it's time to go and that's fine.

It's not he behaviour of an all time great champion, and hence he will never go down as that. But it's his choice, which he is entitled to.

What are we debating?

A good driver won a world title with a bit of luck in a dominant car and has ran for the hills.

He's not coming out and saying he's an all time great, so he knows what his reputation will be for running away and he is obviously comfortable with it.

Spot on, good luck to rosberg. I don't doubt though that merc are peeved, they really went out on a limb with the way they tried to stop Hamilton making life difficult in the final race, now they face an embarrassing climb down with Lewis and no world champion in their team marketing the brand.

[PlatinumZealot]

Well, Mercedes are in the sport for the PR gain, so having the champion effectively unavailable for any PR work next year isn't ideal.

However, you can offset that against the media circus now, and that they'll still have Hamilton, who is a big draw to the wider media whether he's champion or not.

I think Toto mentioned that he wants Nico for PR still though i doubt Nico will bite.

[PlatinumZealot]

About the family first thing...

"I never give up, so if I'd finished second I would have gone for another year, for sure. Definitely,"

This doesn't scream family first.

Exactly. Rosberg's fans can claim family as the reason but it doesn't make any sense. The guy walked out on the team because he's a one shot guy and he knows he had nothing more to give. He won't defend the title because he can't.

Exactly. He blew his wad and he's out.

[GrandAxe]

I don't see what the big deal is. Rosberg stuck with Mercedes for seven long seasons and wants to quit on a high note. Nothing wrong with that.

If he is still under contract, he'll probably have to pay a fine or something, but beyond that I don't think it's anybody's business.


Oh, and Lauda walked out on Brabham before the season was even finished, so he really shouldn't talk.

And Ferrari in 1977, if anybody doesn't have the right to criticize Rosberg on these matters, it's Lauda.

Niki Lauda only walked away from Brabham after his car broke down a whopping 9 times out of the seasons 14 races.

Sorry, but Niki Lauda is a three time world champion and a hero's hero. He didn't run away after lucking into a first WDC, no he won three; what is more, everyone can recall how his helmet almost had to be peeled off his head, because he came right back to continue with the championship battle, still all bandaged, before his wounds had healed after a horrific accident that almost took his life.

Its the sort of superhuman behaviour that's expected of a champion.

Niki Lauda has "the right stuff", he is a mans man, a true racer who will be admired through history as one of F1's greats - something Nico will never experience. It's almost taboo to compare both of them, there are just no grounds.

Indeed, if anyone has the bragging rights to complain about Rosberg, surely that person is Niki Lauda.

[djos]

Rosberg is a user and a coward.
I understand the pressures he put his family under in order to beat hamilton. Keywords: beat hamilton. He has done that now so there is no need to isolate himself from his family anymore. He could well have given Mercedes their money's worth by showing up in2017 relaxed and confident and not focusing on beating Lewis. Just drive to get Mercedes to the WCC. No more mind games, just show up and race and go back home and enjoy his family. It is really that simple. But no.. He doesnt want to lose to Lewis again. He rather give a middle finger to the whole team, and run home with his ball.

Agreed, at lest James Hunt had the good grace to stick around for a bit after getting his WDC, Nico has shown his true colors by doing a win and quit routine.

[dans79]

and remember he was part of Merc from the start.

I fail to see how this has anything to do with, other that some kind of weird entitled reference.

[iotar__]

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/lauda ... an-856753/

- Now Lauda is overacting with delayed anger Yes, we get it, you're shocked, three days later more that day before when he was boasting about "half a grid calling" and enjoying attention.

- During the season they talk about Alonso replacing Rosberg (how nice of them...) and when it's possible from one side they're "not keen".
- That's how much Wolff's (and others like him) words are worth = nothing.
- BTW what would happen for Mercedes if non executive Lauda didn't come one day (or months) to work? I'm guessing nothing, hired to talk to Ecclestone.

[Just_a_fan]

Judging by the Mercedes team's reaction to his retirement I think we can safely assume no such clause exists.
Playing the game expected of him? What, like be a worthy champion rather than a louse?

Until I read the contract I can not safely assume. I don't think we will ever find out for sure, as one of the first things employment contracts usually state is that their terms cannot be made public.

Well Lauda says it's not something they were expecting so it was not in the contract. Not even a hint that he was considering cutting and running. Case closed.

"What annoys me the most is that now Nico is telling us that he would have continued had he not won the world championship," Lauda was quoted as saying in the Sunday edition of Germany's Die Welt broadsheet.

"This is something he could have at least hinted at when he signed his contract."

[PlatinumZealot]

Is this the same interview?
Lauda starting to come to his senses just like i did after i let it soak in...

http://m.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/347692 ... -pressure/

On Rosberg's comments that he would have continued had he lost, Lauda replied: "That's why I would have preferred to be honest if we had kept the great driver pairing and Lewis had become World Champion."

[Manoah2u]

in other words, mercedes giving nico the privilidged treatment has come back and bite them in the ***. guess karma's a bish.

[De Jokke]

in other words, mercedes giving nico the privilidged treatment has come back and bite them in the ***. guess karma's a bish.

+1


"There is no need to say anything to Lewis," Niki Lauda told The Mail on Sunday. "We have no problem about how he raced in Abu Dhabi. We have drawn a line under it." => Hypocrites!
http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/ ... _Mercedes/

[Mandrake]

Well, Mercedes are in the sport for the PR gain, so having the champion effectively unavailable for any PR work next year isn't ideal.

However, you can offset that against the media circus now, and that they'll still have Hamilton, who is a big draw to the wider media whether he's champion or not.

Tbh, the PR from either of them isn't great. Hamilton is more connected with Partying and problems with different women than with what the brand Mercedes stands for. Nico was better suited and will most likely still have to do PR which is less time consuming than being a full on F1 driver.

[ScottB]

Well, Mercedes are in the sport for the PR gain, so having the champion effectively unavailable for any PR work next year isn't ideal.

However, you can offset that against the media circus now, and that they'll still have Hamilton, who is a big draw to the wider media whether he's champion or not.

I think Toto mentioned that he wants Nico for PR still though i doubt Nico will bite.

Depends on what was in his contract. I'm somewhat amazed that these guys can just bail mid contract at all, there must surely be clauses and penalties etc.

[Shrieker]

No need to call Rosberg names imho. He retired at 31; I wouldn't have. Then again, i'm neither Rosberg, nor a WDC. Let alone a racing driver.

[AMG.Tzan]

Personally i understand Rosberg's point in retiring for family reasons! But the way he decided to leave Mercedes without even a month's notice is just not right! He had just signed a contract this year...he should have at least stayed on for another year and only announce that he is leaving at the end of 2017 so that the team had a lot of time to react! After all it's Mercedes that gave him the perfect car without even one problem all year! All his talk about pressure against Hamilton and not retiring had he lost the championship, just shows you how much under fire he was inside him to beat Lewis at last....that was his only objective! And apparently he knows that he won only because of Hamilton's problems and that next year Hamilton will be on fire to shutter him!! After all Vettel is a father and a WDC..same goes for Kimi and many other past world champions! So having a family is not Nico's main problem here! Being beaten by Hamilton again and proving how lucky he was in 2016 is his problem! But no love lost for him...at least we get to see someone new in this team!