Nico Rosberg quits: Formula One in shock after newly crowned world champion sensationally announces retirement just days after beating Lewis Hamilton to title… walks away from £18-million-a-year Mercedes contract
The 31-year-old has hung up his helmet and driving gloves, bringing an end to his bitter rivalry with Lewis Hamilton
NICO ROSBERG has announced his retirement from Formula One just days after winning championship.
The 31-year-old has hung up his helmet and driving gloves, bringing an end to his bitter rivalry with Lewis Hamilton.
And by quitting, the German has incredibly walked out on a £36million two-year contract extension he penned earlier this season.
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Rosberg said: "Since 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my ‘one thing’ to become Formula One World Champion.
"Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target. And now I’ve made it.
Rosberg's wealth in numbers
ROSBERG signed for Mercedes in 2014 and penned a two-year extension earlier this year worth £18-a-season.
He has been with team for seven years and was at Williams for four years before that.
The German is known to be very mindful of money and his fortune is estimated at over £55m.
However his deal was less than half that of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who earns £32m per year.
"I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right.
"My strongest emotion right now is deep gratitude to everybody who supported me to make that dream happen.
“This season, I tell you, it was so damn tough. I pushed like crazy in every area after the disappointments of the last two years; they fuelled my motivation to levels I had never experienced before.
"And of course that had an impact on the ones I love, too – it was a whole family effort of sacrifice, putting everything behind our target.
"I cannot find enough words to thank my wife Vivian; she has been incredible.
"She understood that this year was the big one, our opportunity to do it, and created the space for me to get full recovery between every race, looking after our daughter each night, taking over when things got tough and putting our championship first.
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“When I won the race in Suzuka, 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.
"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. And then the lights went out and I had the most intense 55 laps of my life.
"I took my decision on Monday evening. After reflecting for a day, the first people I told were Vivian and Georg (Nolte, from Nico’s management team), followed by Toto.
“The only thing that makes this decision in any way difficult for me is because I am putting my racing family into a tough situation. But Toto understood. He knew straight away that I was completely convinced and that reassured me.
BEN HUNT'S VIEW
CONGRATULATIONS Nico Rosberg, you have managed disprove two theories I had in five days.
The first was that I never thought you had a world championship in you. The second, that you could ever dominate the news agenda on your own, but you have done following your shock retirement at 31.
Mark Webber, ex-Red Bull racer and straight talker, used to mention the word "vanilla" with reference to drivers' personalities, or rather lack of.
Now, Rosberg does own an ice-cream parlour in Ibiza but for him, vanilla is the perfect description.
Smart, articulate, engaging, quick in a car and a decent all-round bloke, but he is, well, a little bit dull.
Which is why dropping his bombshell before the FIA's lavish gala in Vienna was so not Nico Rosberg.
If Lewis Hamilton, would have done it, it would have been accepted by the 'I told you so' brigade, but Rosberg, surely not.
It is bamboozling to say the least but he has given his reasons and that is it.
But for me the biggest disappointment it that it denies us the chance to see another battle between Hamilton and Rosberg.
In bailing out in this manner, there will be those who say he could not stomach the pressure of being a defending world champion against a formidable driver, such as Hamilton.
It also means that Mercedes now have some more work to do, as the driver market will reopen.
And that means, that after the sport's longest ever season, it is still not over yet. And who says F1 is dull?
"My proudest achievement in racing will always be to have won the world championship with this incredible team of people, the Silver Arrows.
“Now, I’m just here to enjoy the moment. There is time to savour the next weeks, to reflect on the season and to enjoy every experience that comes my way.
"After that, I will turn the next corner in my life and see what it has in store for me…”