Nico Rosberg was on top of the world after finishing 2nd in the 2016 Abu Dhabi GP. The German pipped his teammate Lewis Hamilton by five points to claim his only F1 drivers title.
Rosberg had valiantly fought his teammate and title rival Hamilton in 2015. However, the Briton denied him the chance to proclaim the title. This time, the Monaco-based driver was declared champion after securing 9 wins in the season.
Nevertheless, just a week following the 2016 Abu Dhabi GP, Rosberg announced their retirement from the sport. The news shocked everyone who expected Rosberd to defend his title and resume his duel with Hamilton.
No place like home for @nico_rosberg back in 2016
The Mercedes man took the most recent pole position in Germany 💪#GermanGP 🇩🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/odW4r3jDT6
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 14, 2018
The former F1 driver recently opened up on his life following his shock announcement. The racer was just as much surprised.
Nico Rosberg opens up about his decision to retire from racing
Nico Rosberg admitted that right after winning the title, he had made up his mind. The German made his retirement official at the FIA. He decided to retire from the sport, but he had no plan for his next challenge.
Retiring from racing during the peak of your career was not easy. The German, who was 31 at the time, contemplated the decision a lot of times. It was all that he had known until then.
Rosberg stated, “I felt like I gave up my identity. Everything in my life until that moment involved nothing but racing. It was a shock to my system to drop this parameter to zero all of a sudden.”
🗣”One little mistake… My childhood dream was gone.”@Nico_Rosberg looks back at the race he sealed his championship title, the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and reflects on his long history with @LewisHamilton.#SkyF1 | #AbuDhabiGP🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/MGeZVKs8EF
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) December 19, 2019
He added, “I never even wondered what other passions I had. There was always just the next race. I had to accept that no matter what I did, I was starting from scratch.”
Rosberg had a contract with Mercedes until the 2018 season. After discussing with his wife, the Mercedes driver considered hanging up his racing shoes if he won the title in Abu Dhabi. Later, he discussed it with his agent and his team principal Toto Wolff before making it public.
What is Rosberg doing after retirement?
Nico Rosberg claims one of the reasons to retire from F1 was to spend more time with his family. The former F1 driver has 2 daughters and wishes to spend more time with them as he has already achieved his dream.
He stated, “It was a question of do I want to continue to deliver and live in that intensity, and with my dream has come true. I’d fulfilled my goal of being World Champion, it just felt like a great moment to step away and have a new life.”
Rosberg’s announcement sent Mercedes scrambling to find a replacement. Toto Wolff claimed the German’s announcement had come at an “inconvenient” time. Eventually, the Silver Arrows settled for Willaims driver Valtteri Bottas.
Toto Wolff tells @LeeMcKenzieTV about the slightly inconvenient timing of breaking Nico Rosberg’s retirement to the Mercedes bosses… 😆 pic.twitter.com/XYcvqw01oX
— Channel 4 F1® (@C4F1) June 23, 2017
Rosberg has enjoyed a wonderful retirement. He is now active as an investor in new innovative companies, especially those focused on sustainable mobility, green technology, and more.
He claimed to have invested a lot in himself and learning after his retirement. This, too, was a major challenge for the Mercedes driver.
Rosberg has also invested in Formula E and owns a team in the Extreme E series. He is also a pundit for Sky Sports and can be regularly seen vlogging with other former F1 drivers and testing cool cars on his Youtube channel.
