New F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg has shocked the sporting world by announcing his retirement less than a week after winning his first world title. The German announced the decision today.
Mercedes driver Rosberg became champion on Sunday evening in Abu Dhabi after finishing second in the final race of the season to teammate Lewis Hamilton when he only needed to finish in the top three.
The son of Keke Rosberg became only the second son to follow his dad as F1 champion after Damon Hill. The 31 year old surprised everyone today with a statement on Facebook to confirm his retirement:
Rosberg has been entangled in a fierce rivalry with Hamilton over the last three seasons. The pair have the best cars on the track by a long way and between the pair they have battled for the title between themselves for those three years with the Brit bagging two titles to Rosberg's one.
Advert
Many had questioned Hamilton's tactics and the former friends clashed several times over their years as teammates but after the German's world title win the Brit shared a memory from their karting days of talking about becoming champions together. Rosberg responded in kind, thanking Hamilton for his words.
His team paid tribute with a very simple and effective tweet:
The former Williams driver put in a huge effort to win his world title and clearly wants to leave the sport on a high note, you can' really take issue with him for that.
Advert
Rosberg ends with one world title which is definitely more than most of us could ever imagine achieving. Fair play Nico, enjoy your retireme
Featured Image Credit:
