Mercedes F1 Driver Nico Rosberg Retires
Thirty-One-Year-Old German Racer Set Out to Make History and then End His Career on a High Note as World Champ
It was a hard-fought Formula One season that wasn’t decided until the final race. In the end, Mercedes-Benz driver Nico Rosberg bested teammate Lewis Hamilton for the World Championship. Then, surprisingly, he retired five days later.
The entire racing world was understandably shocked by the 31-year-old German driver’s revelation. Only a select few in his inner circle knew of his intentions before he made a formal announcement on Dec. 2.
“Since 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my ‘one thing’ to become Formula One World Champion,” Rosberg posted to Facebook on the same day that he announced his retirement. “Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target. And now I’ve made it. 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.”
Ever since first racing go-karts as a child, Rosberg had but one all-consuming goal: to become Formula One World Champion. Carrying the weight of that dream for a quarter of a century surely has some impact on his decision. Those close to him are saying that it was clear that he was cherishing every moment of every post-championship celebration, knowing that he would soon be walking away from all of it.
According to Rosberg, the thought of retiring after winning the championship first entered his head after winning the Suzuka race. He said that going into the final race at Abu Dhabi while considering that it could be his last race helped to clear his mind and sharpen his focus, allowing him to settle in for the incredible 55-lap battle to decide the championship.
Once Rosberg had secured his place in history at that fateful race, he was ready to retire. He comes from good stock: His father, Keke Rosberg, won the World Championship himself in 1982. Keke and Nico are the second father/son duo to win World Championships together, along with Graham and Damon Hill. In 11 seasons, Rosberg has won 23 races and set 30 poles with 20 fastest laps.
“Throughout his career, people have thought he was on a golden path to success just because his father was a World Champion,” says Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, on Mercedes-Benz’s website. “In fact, I think in some ways that made the challenge greater — and meant he had to fight even harder with the weight of expectation on his shoulders.”
“With Mercedes, Nico has been a relentless competitor, bouncing back from tough times in an inspirational way, and he earned the respect of the sport with his tenacity, his fighting spirit and his grace under pressure,” says Wolff. “Since 2010, he has poured competitive energy into our team and we have grown stronger because of it. We simply say ‘thank you’ for the incredible contribution he has made to our success.”
