Nico Rosberg to retire from F1 (!)

[Unc1eM0nty]

lol, lets be honest here,
it's rather sad to see members calling rosberg a wuss and wimp for stopping racing supposedly 'because he can't get another title', sitting in their chairs being all keyboard hero.

Keyboard hero ? this is an internet forum, it's kinda what we do

He confirmed again at the FIA awards that had he not won the title that he would have continued to race, that throws the spending more time with my family story out the window, he's been favorite for a change and this has stressed him out, he doesn't want to go through that again.

I feel cheated because there will be no world champion on the grid next year, that's just not right, and by leaving the decision so late he's shafted his team good and proper.

[Restomaniac]

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.

'He retired at 31'.
This I think is a key phrase. Racing drivers have left F1 at a similar age before but generally they are without a drive, or go onto another series.

But to walk out on a multi-year deal and retire from motor racing at 31? Hell Mansell didn't start in F1 until he was 33 (Which in itself was a unusual circumstance I admit).

I think the manner of how it has happened and his age has created this.
Massa and Button retiring (35 and 36) created a 'Well that's to be expected' reaction. Both have been spinning their wheels for a few years and honestly have looked a little lost.
Rosberg has just won the WDC and is in his prime as far as racing drivers go, is still going to be in the best car (Just In 2017 IMHO) and all of a sudden he's gone. That is going to create questions IMHO.

[Just_a_fan]

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.

Mercedes are aiming for a younger customer these days, especially with the AMG brand. Indeed, on UK TV there is an advert where Hamilton drives an attractive woman in a green AMG.

[GPR-A duplicate2]

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.

And that is why Bernie said, he wants to see Lewis be the champion and not Nico. And that is why, Lewis is the face of Mercedes-AMG GT R and not Nico.

In places like US, which is big auto market, it is Lewis who is going around and bringing Formula 1 and Mercedes into spotlight. That helps for business. Toto wants Nico for PR, only because they crowned him champion and they want to milk that part.

[djos]

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.

And that is why Bernie said, he wants to see Lewis be the champion and not Nico. And that is why, Lewis is the face of Mercedes-AMG GT R and not Nico.

In places like US, which is big auto market, it is Lewis who is going around and bringing Formula 1 and Mercedes into spotlight. That helps for business. Toto wants Nico for PR, only because they crowned him champion and they want to milk that part.

Even in Australia Nico is passed over for Lewis, hell even Jensen has had frequent advertising gigs here and F1 is a niche market ! Nico just isn't interesting, he's just another soulless corporate robot.

It's why drivers like Webber and Ricciardo are so loved regardless of results, they have spirit and fight hard.

[Phil]

This talk about how Rosberg owes Mercedes anything or the other way around are kind of funny. They don't owe each other anything. They are both individual entities, both pursuing goals in their owns best interest. Nothing more, nothing less. Mercedes goal is to win championships, better their image/brand and sell more cars. Lewis has different goals to Rosberg and again Mercedes has different goals to both of them. There is really nothing more to it. Nothing.

I applaud Nico for doing what is best for him. Better to leave on a high, than to stick around when your heart isn't in it. He has shown a level of maturity not many have. Fair play to him.

Mercedes will deal with it. It won't be optimal going into 2017, as over a transition like what we're going to have now with the new rules, you'd ideally want stability. Introducing a new driver as a new element won't be that, which is why IMO and after giving some consideration to it, I think they will take Pascal Wehrlein as their 2nd driver for a 1 year deal. Less "ego" to worry about. They have a known quantity in Lewis to guide the team with his input. If they take a driver such as Vettel or Alonso, you'll run the risk that both of them will have more specific requirements that might cause conflict. Plus, they're held back by contracts in place, I'd assume. So I think they will go the sensible route, take Wehrlein for a year. This will be good evaluation for them. If it doesn't work out, they can always work to get Vettel for 2018. This is assuming of course, that they are happy with Lewis and Lewis is still happy (enough) with them to put in a lot of energy and effort into 2017.

[Mansell89]

How much would it cost to buy Hulkenberg out of that Renault contract?

He is their perfect foil for Hamilton. Damn good driver, German, and will perform to a very high level.

[turbof1]

This talk about how Rosberg owes Mercedes anything or the other way around are kind of funny. They don't owe each other anything.

Well except for sitting out a signed contract. I can understand Rosberg's reasoning, but he did break the terms of a multi-year contract. Worse than that is he now leaves the team scrambling to find a decent replacement while almost driver has already signed somewhere.

[Manoah2u]

Even in Australia Nico is passed over for Lewis, hell even Jensen has had frequent advertising gigs here and F1 is a niche market ! Nico just isn't interesting, he's just another soulless corporate robot.

It's why drivers like Webber and Ricciardo are so loved regardless of results, they have spirit and fight hard.

which is exactly the reason why it is the nail in the coffin not to see Wehrlein get that drive period.

If you look at Wehrlein, he's a big unknown, to be honest as a weird face - i know that's really superficial,
but the fact is, he has zero 'celebrity' state, and at best has a face that belongs in a order-by-telephone-fashion-magazine.
there is zero marketability for the dude, and it's a really really reaaaaly big if whether he's 'tough enough' to endure the stress of a giant-team like Mercedes. Chances are higher that he crumbles and has worse mental breakdowns than Kvyat in regards that the chances are that he pops out as a winning machine. A gamble too big to risk, especially since there are little to zero signs that he 'is the next big thing'.

And to be honest, that same goes for Bottas. Yes i rate bottas fairly higher than Wehrlein, but the reference point has not been made yet to give adequate judgement there. In any case, Bottas is as gray and exciting like the concrete wall in a public parking lot, and just as marketable.

Again, i cannot but point towards Fernando Alonso. He's a known face, a well-respected face, has a gigantic fanbase, has 'passion' and is supremely marketable in a variety of directions. I think he would be the perfect 'compliment' to the already existing 'exposure' through Hamilton - Alonso is able to fill the areas where Lewis has less 'fanbase'.

Yes Lewis has fanbase everywhere, but we can and should all agree that the 'bigger' fanbase of Lewis is to be found in the UK, The United States, Asia, Canada and 'the Arab world'. He has a lesser fanbase in LatinAmerica in comparison to those countries mentioned before. Yes he has fans in LatinAmerica, sure.

If we look at the fanbase Nico has, i can only imagine it being mostly German, a handfull of UK, and a decent amount of 'upper class' uptights. Switzerland, Austria, etc. I don't think Monaco is such a big treasure to dig in.

Where we look at Alonso, then it's a different picture.

Alonso has an absolutely IMMENSE fanbase, and a VERY, very big fanbase in any Latin country; LatinAmerica [all], Spain, Italy, and then he ALSO has a very big following through the rest of the world. Alonso really 'fills in' the 'gaps' left by Lewis.

AND additionaly - again - Alonso has a supremely marketable character. Alonso in the same promotional material scoops up gigantic results in comparison to a boring unknown Wehrlein.

Bottas is equally grey, and does not fill any area that he isn't already filling with Williams-Mercedes.
Nothing to gain there.

Again, Mercedes would be MAD not to do anything in their power to grab Alonso by the horns.

[Big Mangalhit]

Hulkenberg would be perfect. He is a very capable driver, blonde and german. Most Merc casual fans wouldn't even notice the difference. Maybe Toto wouldn't even need to set up a meeting with the board to explain a change in pilots.

Best of all, they wouldn't even need to change the name in most of the gear.

[santos]

This talk about how Rosberg owes Mercedes anything or the other way around are kind of funny. They don't owe each other anything.

Well except for sitting out a signed contract. I can understand Rosberg's reasoning, but he did break the terms of a multi-year contract. Worse than that is he now leaves the team scrambling to find a decent replacement while almost driver has already signed somewhere.

What could Mercedes do? Force him to drive the car? If he leaved Mercedes for another team, they could sued him. But he is leaving F1. Nico doesn't owe nothing to Mercedes and Mercedes doesn't owe him nothing. They should be thankful to each other.

[turbof1]

This talk about how Rosberg owes Mercedes anything or the other way around are kind of funny. They don't owe each other anything.

Well except for sitting out a signed contract. I can understand Rosberg's reasoning, but he did break the terms of a multi-year contract. Worse than that is he now leaves the team scrambling to find a decent replacement while almost driver has already signed somewhere.

What could Mercedes do? Force him to drive the car? If he leaved Mercedes for another team, they could sued him. But he is leaving F1. Nico doesn't owe nothing to Mercedes and Mercedes doesn't owe him nothing. They should be thankful to each other.

No, Mercedes couldn't do anything else than letting him go. Still does not change the fact Rosberg did violate the terms of a signed contract and left the team scrambling to find a worthy successor. The team should indeed be thankful for the title, which they are for the record, but that does not change the fact Rosberg put them in a very rought spot due him misleading the team.

He could atleast have mentioned to the team as early as Japan "look guys, if I win the title, I'm out.".

[Jolle]

Well except for sitting out a signed contract. I can understand Rosberg's reasoning, but he did break the terms of a multi-year contract. Worse than that is he now leaves the team scrambling to find a decent replacement while almost driver has already signed somewhere.

What could Mercedes do? Force him to drive the car? If he leaved Mercedes for another team, they could sued him. But he is leaving F1. Nico doesn't owe nothing to Mercedes and Mercedes doesn't owe him nothing. They should be thankful to each other.

No, Mercedes couldn't do anything else than letting him go. Still does not change the fact Rosberg did violate the terms of a signed contract and left the team scrambling to find a worthy successor. The team should indeed be thankful for the title, which they are for the record, but that does not change the fact Rosberg put them in a very rought spot due him misleading the team.

He could atleast have mentioned to the team as early as Japan "look guys, if I win the title, I'm out.".

We don't know the terms of his contract. In the 100 page or so agreement are possible several clauses that could forfeit the contract. Same goes for all drivers, including ones that just signed new deals. For instance, Perez wants to drive for Ferrari, he will have a clause in there that if they come knocking, he can get out and for Bottas, under Wolff management will have a clause if AMG needs him, he can go out (maybe after a considerable fee).

Big chance that Rosberg will now renegotiate the terms of his contract. The cost of the retirement clause vs sponsor meetings, etc etc.

[Phil]

This talk about how Rosberg owes Mercedes anything or the other way around are kind of funny. They don't owe each other anything.

Well except for sitting out a signed contract. I can understand Rosberg's reasoning, but he did break the terms of a multi-year contract. Worse than that is he now leaves the team scrambling to find a decent replacement while almost driver has already signed somewhere.

Good point. Though to be fair, contracts are ever as binding as the two parties willing to follow them. In the end, it's all down to business. There is no contract in the world that could force Nico to take a seat in that car if he no longer wanted to. There are clauses for that, most likely of financial nature, if one party decides to prematurely terminate it. In the end, I'm sure Nico and Mercedes have come down and reached some form of mutual understanding. Maybe Nico will remain in some form to Mercedes (perhaps on a marketing perspective) to ensure the team can ride the success of their latest champion.

In the end, if Nico is in the car or not is a small problem. The most important thing for a team like Mercedes is that confidentiality is ensured and that Nico won't be going out and talking to the competition on any inside knowledge he may possess. Yes, it of course isn't the ideal circumstance that Mercedes now faces of having to secure a decent driver for the 2nd seat, but come to think of it, there could be worse problems to figure out.

As I said before, I suspect Mercedes will do the wise and clear headed thing: They will settle for Pascal Wehrlein (or perhaps retain Bottas). It would be unwise to step into the unknown with a "big name" and go for multiple year contracts at this point. It's still unknown what Hamilton is set out to do beyond 2017 - and after 2016, the team and Hamilton will have to grow together again, after the disappointment of the loss of the championship and the climax at the last race. I suspect Hamilton will be motivated in light of the new regulations and the new challenge and he now has the situation that he may be for the first time since ever, looked up as something akin to a team leader.

If Mercedes were to go for a Max Verstappen, a Sebastian Vettel or even a Fernando Alonso, I think there would be chaos waiting to happen. At the very least with Vettel and Alonso, you'd have two egos going head to head with Lewis. I'm not sure that would be the wisest of moves. Better to go with a young development driver who might surprise. Best thing; If Wehrlein doesn't cut it, he'll be quietly discarded after 1 season without much noise.

As a fan, I would love seeing Vettel at Mercedes, but I don't think that would happen. Unless the management at Mercedes wouldn't mind the positive publicity surrounding the two most successful drivers in modern F1 going head to head against each other. Apart from that though... I don't see it happening.

[turbof1]

This talk about how Rosberg owes Mercedes anything or the other way around are kind of funny. They don't owe each other anything.

Well except for sitting out a signed contract. I can understand Rosberg's reasoning, but he did break the terms of a multi-year contract. Worse than that is he now leaves the team scrambling to find a decent replacement while almost driver has already signed somewhere.

Good point. Though to be fair, contracts are ever as binding as the two parties willing to follow them. In the end, it's all down to business. There is no contract in the world that could force Nico to take a seat in that car if he no longer wanted to. There are clauses for that, most likely of financial nature, if one party decides to prematurely terminate it. In the end, I'm sure Nico and Mercedes have come down and reached some form of mutual understanding. Maybe Nico will remain in some form to Mercedes (perhaps on a marketing perspective) to ensure the team can ride the success of their latest champion.

In the end, if Nico is in the car or not is a small problem. The most important thing for a team like Mercedes is that confidentiality is ensured and that Nico won't be going out and talking to the competition on any inside knowledge he may possess. Yes, it of course isn't the ideal circumstance that Mercedes now faces of having to secure a decent driver for the 2nd seat, but come to think of it, there could be worse problems to figure out.

As I said before, I suspect Mercedes will do the wise and clear headed thing: They will settle for Pascal Wehrlein (or perhaps retain Bottas). It would be unwise to step into the unknown with a "big name" and go for multiple year contracts at this point. It's still unknown what Hamilton is set out to do beyond 2017 - and after 2016, the team and Hamilton will have to grow together again, after the disappointment of the loss of the championship and the climax at the last race. I suspect Hamilton will be motivated in light of the new regulations and the new challenge and he now has the situation that he may be for the first time since ever, looked up as something akin to a team leader.

If Mercedes were to go for a Max Verstappen, a Sebastian Vettel or even a Fernando Alonso, I think there would be chaos waiting to happen. At the very least with Vettel and Alonso, you'd have two egos going head to head with Lewis. I'm not sure that would be the wisest of moves. Better to go with a young development driver who might surprise. Best thing; If Wehrlein doesn't cut it, he'll be quietly discarded after 1 season without much noise.

As a fan, I would love seeing Vettel at Mercedes, but I don't think that would happen. Unless the management at Mercedes wouldn't mind the positive publicity surrounding the two most successful drivers in modern F1 going head to head against each other. Apart from that though... I don't see it happening.

Well, the same can be said about "owing" somebody: ultimately nobody can force you to help out the one the helped you. But it does not mean you don't owe somebody.

Of course what will happen is Rosberg having to settle an arrangement (as has been suggested, that'll probably involve marketing). It is not what Mercedes wanted or signed Rosberg for, but all have to make the best out of the situation.

Rosberg should atleast have said "I'll help out the team at winter testing". He is the most senior driver around regarding experience at the team. I think his feedback would have been very important to target weaknesses at the car, especially given new regulations next year. True, Hamilton is experienced in that regard as well, but I think it would have been valuable for the team to have feedback they can rely on, opposed to for instance Wehlrein, who has quite a bit less experience with the engineering team and generally with the setup of a new car.