Nico Rosberg shocked the entire world when he announced his retirement from F1. Less than a week after winning the 2016 world championship, the German former driver announced he would not return to the grid to defend his title. There were a lot of rumors behind the decision, but none of them carried much credibility. Former F1 pit crew member turned F1 presenter Marc Priestley interviewed Rosberg a day before his retirement, and gave an exclusive insight into what he learned.
A taster of tonight’s F1 Special on Sky F1 looking at Nico Rosberg’s retirement & Mercedes driver options for 2017
8pm, don’t miss it! pic.twitter.com/Aeg8JjjhhO
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) December 8, 2016
Speaking exclusively to The SportsRush’s Tanish Chachra, Priestley detailed the possible reason behind the announcement. He believes that the decision had nothing to do with the professional element of F1. Instead, it stemmed from the personal sacrifices he had to make throughout the season to defeat Lewis Hamilton. Priestley added there wasn’t even a murmur about Rosberg‘s retirement, as everyone expected him to return the next year.
“There was never a rumor because this was something that was very, very personal just for Nico [Rosberg]. I genuinely don’t think he told anybody.”
Recalling the announcement, Priestley said that it was one of the biggest shocks he had seen in F1. Talking further about the interview, he said that Rosberg told him it took an “enormous sacrifice” from his entire family over the course of a year. In all the years before 2016, Rosberg constantly looked for things he could do to try and beat Hamilton. When 2016 arrived, Rosberg decided to put everything on the line to win the championship.
Priestley also revealed that even while conducting the interview, he had no idea Rosberg wouldn’t return to the grid. Everyone, including Priestley, thought Rosberg would certainly come back to defend his title. However, it never came to that, and Rosberg left the sport at the highest of highs.
Nico Rosberg put his family on the line to beat Lewis Hamilton
Rosberg had to make intense personal sacrifices to ensure he won the 2016 championship. He would stay away from his wife and children for days to focus on driving. His wife would take their children away so Rosberg could focus on racing-related things. Given there was no pre-race practice back then, the German former driver would go to Karting tracks to be at the top of his game. Per Priestley, Rosberg put everything on the line to win the world championship.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crash out in Spain
Spanish GP – 2016#F1 pic.twitter.com/bRX6k1xaLx
— F1 History (@TodayF1History) January 19, 2024
Hamilton and Rosberg locked horns with each other at Mercedes starting from 2013. Hamilton won the 2014 and 2015 world championships. He even outperformed Rosberg in 2013, finishing 18 points ahead of him. There would often be tensions between the two teammates, which would blow up significantly whenever they faced each other on the track.
Rosberg had the last laugh as he finally defeated his arch-rival. Looking back at the announcement, the 47-year-old claims he respects the decision. Rosberg risked everything in his life to win the championship. Once he ticked the box off, there was no need for the German to do it all once again.
