Nico Rosberg shocked the world when he announced his retirement from Formula 1 just days after winning the World Title in 2016.
The 2016 F1 season was one of the most memorable in recent times. Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who were former best friends went toe to toe for the World Title. It was an iconic campaign for both, full of drama and controversy and the winner could only be decided at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
All Rosberg had to do was finish P2, and he would be World Champion and he did just that. It was the German driver’s first ever World Title, and as fans found out just days later, it was also his last ever F1 appearance.
Ahead of the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony that year, he announced that he wouldn’t be returning the sport the next year. This was due to the fact that competing against Hamilton and withstanding the pressure of doing so took a toll on him, and after fulfilling his dream of winning the Title, he did not want to go through it again.
It was shocking news for everyone in the F1 paddock, but for Mercedes in particular. This decision was revealed in November, which gave the Silver Arrows just about three months to find a suitable replacement.
Niki Lauda was not happy with Nico Rosberg for retiring in 2016
Niki Lauda, who was Mercedes’ non-executive Chairman was not happy with Rosberg. The three-time World Champion admitted that he understood Rosberg’s decision from a driver’s point of view. However, because he was in charge of Mercedes alongside Toto Wolff, he felt like Rosberg left them high and dry.
“From my point of view, the criticism was completely normal,” Lauda said in an interview with Graham Bensinger. “Because I’m in charge with Toto Wolff about the whole team. And if we get hit from a brand new World Champion in November that he’s gonna retire, it puts us in a very difficult situation.”
“We need the strongest pair of drivers to continue and win. And he left us just in the last moment. Even if I respect his decision, the timing for us really bad. Therefore, I criticized him from the team point of view.”
Mercedes ultimately ended up choosing Valtteri Bottas as Hamilton’s partner. The Finn stayed in the Brackley based outfit until the 2021 season and helped the team to five consecutive Constructors’ World Title wins.
