Nico just retired from F1 !
I didn't see that coming , but I guess he's reached his goal and it's time .
This is gonna be a crazy scramble for that seat .
Thanks , Nico . I enjoyed watching you race .
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Nico just retired from F1 !
I didn't see that coming , but I guess he's reached his goal and it's time .
This is gonna be a crazy scramble for that seat .
Thanks , Nico . I enjoyed watching you race .
And , Mark beats me by 3 minutes to the retirement thread title !
Nico Rosberg:
“Since 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my ‘one thing’ to become Formula One World Champion. Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target.And now I’ve made it. I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right. My strongest emotion right now is deep gratitude to everybody who supported me to make that dream happen.
“This season, I tell you, it was so damn tough. I pushed like crazy in every area after the disappointments of the last two years; they fuelled my motivation to levels I had never experienced before. And of course that had an impact on the ones I love, too – it was a whole family effort of sacrifice, putting everything behind our target. I cannot find enough words to thank my wife Vivian; she has been incredible. She understood that this year was the big one, our opportunity to do it, and created the space for me to get full recovery between every race, looking after our daughter each night, taking over when things got tough and putting ourchampionship first.
“When I won the race in Suzuka, from the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became World Champion. On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time… and then the lights went out and I had the most intense 55 laps of my life. I took my decision on Monday evening. After reflecting for a day, the first people I told were Vivian and Georg (Nolte, from Nico’s management team), followed by Toto.
“The only thing that makes this decision in any way difficult for me is because I am putting my racing family into a toughsituation. But Toto understood. He knew straight away that I was completely convinced and that reassured me. My proudest achievement in racing will always be to have won the world championship with this incredible team of people,the Silver Arrows.
“Now, I’m just here to enjoy the moment. There is time tosavour the next weeks, to reflect on the season and to enjoy every experience that comes my way. After that, I will turn the next corner in my life and see what it has in store for me…”
Welp, 2016 sure has been a weird one in general :O
Shows Mercedes teams agenda so was to just get him a championship before he retired. Everything is making a lot more sense now.
It also shows that Nico Rosberg doesn't have the mental strength it takes to be top dog.
Good on him I say. He's got a young family and the F1 circus must be extremely tough - now he goes out as an F1 champion, head held high.
1. Why?Quote:
Originally Posted by The Black Knight
2. Why?
So come on Jenson, you know it makes sense!
I'm wondering whether Alonso has a clause to get out of his McLaren contract :devil:
He achieved his dream and won't have to face the media pressure of defending it next season. All the best to him, retired on a high.
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Must do. I'd love to see him in the best car. Him being stuck mid pack just isn't right.Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyL
Toto Wolf is on record being absolutely stunned by the news. They were about to re-sign him.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Black Knight
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As a mere mortal I can hardly believe anyone turning down the chance to race another year in, most likely, the fastest car.
He has a young family that he misses for weeks at a time so I came sympathise with that. The racer in me can't understand it though.Quote:
Originally Posted by yodasarmpit
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As I just said to pino I guess it depends on your motivation. For some, perhaps most, racing is what they want to do and all they want to do. For others, Rosberg and perhaps I can include Hakkinen in this list, they want to get to the top, to be the best, and once they are there, that's it, other goals to strive for.
Wow, I didn't see that coming, I bet Fernando is on the phone to Toto as we discuss this. :D
The effort he put in was clearly monumental which detrimentaly affected his family life. He achieved his life long goal and it was also going to be almost impossible to emulate his success next year and so why not sign out as WDC. Good on him. Good luck Nico.
I am gobmacked and somewhat disappointed. I was looking forward to a battle of champions at Mercedes. He has a left big hole in F1 suddenly. He is liked very much and would be missed greatly l think.
I guess Alonso and Vettel are scrambling to make a deal to get into that seat. Though, l think it would be great for Mercedes to give Wehrlein a chance to prove himself. Which certainly make Ocon kick himself if that happens.
classyQuote:
Originally Posted by The Black Knight
I'm sure everyone here knows this but if Button goes to Mercedes you should really say goes *back* to Mercedes as it's the team he won his WDC with in 2009.
Taking the words out of my mouth...Quote:
Originally Posted by Zico
Wow - could never have guessed that. Stepped out while at the top to take care of the important things at home. Really got to respect the guy for that. Rosberg has been my sons favorite driver for a number of years now, so we're going to miss him.
Good luck in the future Nico - enjoy the time with your young family. Hopefully in another 15 - 20 years there will be another Rosberg on the F1 grid.
I can still remember Nico setting the fastest lap in his Bahrain gp debut. It took a decade of hard work to reach the pinnacle of motorsports. A quote from Ross Brawn sums it up. "Lucky is preparation waiting for opportunity." Wish him all the best in his next phase of life.
Brave decision. With a young family, having achieved his life goal, you'd agree it's also the right and smart decision.
Takes guts to do that.
He's beaten the best on the grid - whether or not you think he had the luck - you gotta be there to take the opportunities.
Respect to the Rosbergs. Hope he enjoys his retirement and does not regret his decision.
I give his retirement a lifespan of two years--tops. He'll be back.
You used to be a reasonable guy, but lately you are not coming across well........ sad to see. This is from someone who hopefully comes across quite neutral.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Black Knight
Wow...... unbelievable news in a way, but thinking about it. When you saw his comments after UAE he seemed spent. Anyway fair play to him. He has achieved his goal and no one despite the bitterness of some can take away from him.
I also think he could be back. I mean he might need a break and in 2018 might fancy some fun racing in a Williams again or Mclaren etc....
I hope the 2017 season sees real competition. I hoped that anyway but now with Hamilton v a likely youngster he would potentially win 15-18 of the races next season. If it was the same as this season.
Would love Fred to get one last chance at a top car but cant see it. Mercedes had enough controlling those two let alone Alonso who is very hard to be a team mate too.
Anyway congrats Nico on a great career. Lots of wins and lots of podiums. Plus a world championship
I wonder if Toto had an inkling ?
seems like Mercedes did everything to aid his World Championship this year ,as Hamilton said Merc supply 8 engines every race weekend ,so why was he the ONLY driver to have problems .
Whereas Hamilton made it look easy to qualify and race Rosberg always looked as if it was hard work .With the best car on the grid he became World Champion ,which he needs credit for I totally agree .
But it lust be difficult when leaving for a race weekend wifey says ".Have a good weekend but be safe and don't forget me and daisy are waiting for you to come back"
I can remember being at the side of Rosberg all those years ago just before he came into F1 ,on the Pit wall at the Valencia circuit .He had long hair and a long coat ,and was probably only 20 ish then .
Anyway there retires another World Champion ,I don't ever think he will come back ,the Rosberg,s will all be Millionaires and don't need the money .But then what do you look fotward to doing on a weekend and what is going to give you the "Buzz" ?
You are right, he would miss it after a while. It was a hard season for both Rosberg and Hamilton. But you have to admit that this season was the very best we have seen from Rosberg. He drove some truly magnificent races. And there were tough moment as he tried his best to overcome the psychological barrier that Hamilton had placed on him over the years. Hamilton definitely brought out the best in Rosberg this season. It must have been torturous to build a handsome lead and watch it also gradually disappear as the opposition ebbed away his lead. The stress this year must have been immense for both Mercedes drivers and the team management. Also 22 races must have been quite difficult for all participants. The 2016 season must be close to two pre-1980 seasons.Quote:
Originally Posted by driveace
Spain and Austria were statements of intent to Hamilton that he was not going to roll over for the three times world champion at every fight at the corners. I think when we go back and watch this season over again we would see that Rosberg accounted for himself admirably. Most importantly, he beat Hamilton to the championship. It doesn't matter how he did it, history would remember that he did in this year 2016.
I am sad that he has pulled out but l wish him well in whatever he chooses to do in the future.
Once your kids are a little older they don't need you quite as much. He's still a young man and wouldn't be the first to retire then come back.
Alonzo would take it but I can't think of two drivers who hate each other more than Alonzo and Hamilton so I'm not sure about the dynamic. Merc would be wiser in the long run to go for a new young hotshot driver like Verstappen who could be World Champoin in just a year or two.Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyL
So whom replaces him? Sainz seems like the logical choice to me. He has proven he is a top notch driver and, although he is contracted, RBR would probably be willing to release him for a relatively novel fee given they effectively overlooked him in favour of Verstappen, not due to lack of talent but lack of seats. It would also give RBR the opportunity to promote Junior Driver and GP2 champion Pierre Gasly to Toro Rosso and partner Kvyat. A win win for everyone, especially Sainz!
Regards Pascal Werhlein, he hasn't proven himself to be anything special thus far so it would probably be too great a risk.
Fernando and Vettel both contracted for another year. Unlikely Vettel will leave Ferrari but Alonso may enticed to leave McLaren given their relative uncompetitiveness. With the Honda engine another year from full maturity even with the token system now removed he may want to seize the moment for a title challenge now that it arises!
It's going to be an interesting few weeks but my money is on Sainz and I hope he gets it too! He deserves it imo.
That was an unexpected announcement from Nico. Good luck to him though.
The first thing I thought after hearing this news was that Fernando will be desperate to get that seat. It would be good to see him up against Lewis again in identical cars. I wonder if Fernando still has all his abilities. I suspect so.
Next year will be interesting with the technical changes. It's not guaranteed that Mercedes will be the top team. It would be just Fernando's luck if he jumped ship again and the car wasn't what he wanted.
If Red Bull make the necessary progress with their cars then Max is easily up to the job of fighting for the championship. We have a lot to look forward to for 2017!
Sainz make sense to me too. But l doubt Redbull would want to release him to Mercedes. I can't see Alonso going to Mercedes, the previous pairing with Hamilton was problematic for Mclaren, l can also see it being problematic for Mercedes. It is probably not fair to judge Wehrlein based on the Manor. Even so, he has perform to best level ever attained in a back marker car. He scored one championship point which was the threshold for excellent backmarker drivers such as Bianchi etc. And we cannot really compare the Manor to the Torro Rosso where Verstapenn and Sainz has had a better opportunity to showcase their skills. Hence, we have not had the opportunity to see some aggressive driving from Wehrlein.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Black Knight
I think given the opportunity, Wehrlein would step up to the challenge. He is very quick. One does not get to be DTM champion pottering along the track. That said, if Toto has a choice between Sainz and Wehrlein, l think he would pick Sainz without hesitation.
With Sainz there is a problem - I have read that RB asked 30 mil for releasing Sainz from his contract when Renault tried to hire him. But then again, Mercedes is so big and powerful that nothing is impossible for them.
No doubt Wehrlein is quick. But for some reason FI chose Ocon instead of him. Obviously I don't know why but ever since his DTM success there have been rumors that he is difficult to work with and he showed that when he was not willing to turn off his engine when his engineers asked. I am not sure that Toto would want another difficult personality to his team.
Alonso's name was mentioned here. I for one can actually see Alonso going to Merc. Toto has publically said that he likes his personality and obviously his driving skills. We should not underestimate his marketability as well. I think he is very likely the most marketable driver after Hamilton and possibly Verstappen. And Alonso being quite old by F1 terms and having spent 2 very frustrating years at McLaren I can see him getting desperate enough to jump ship to Mercedes. The biggest issues probably are Alonso's wage, his confidence in McLaren (if he thinks they can nail next years car) and possible Hamilton's veto right.
As more possible replacements I would name Bottas, who is managed by Toto and Ocon, who, belonging to Merc young drivers' program has a clause to be easily released from his contract from FI if Merc needs him.
Personally, I would like the seat go to Sainz because his carreer being at RB will go nowhere because there is no way in hell he could replace Verstappen or Ricciardo in the main team soon. Looking how RB has managed their young drivers they will keep him as backup for as long as possible and by then his carreer could be destroyed and he is far too talented for that.
Please let it be Alonso, and if not then Max.
My intelligence sources are telling that Niki Lauda is on the phone with Gutierrez right now.
Very unlikely that Gutierrez would land one of the most desired seats in F1 after he was dumped by Haas for under performance. My heart would love to see Alonso in a competitive car again before he retires. But my head cannot see that in Mercedes because l think Mercedes would want to select a young talent that would mature into a multiple world champion. Based on the state of play at the moment, l think Sainz is realistically the most obvious option available at the moment regardless of his contract with Redbull. Verstapenn would be more difficult to pull out of Redbull's grasps.Quote:
Originally Posted by zako85
I would not entirely rule out Wehrlein but l doubt Ocon is going to be pulled out of Force India. Bottas is a possibility but he has signed to extend his contract. I think picking Bottas or Ocon would have the consequence of upsetting their customer teams, but the right money would sooth any bruised egos.
Vettel is a dark horse in all this. I would bet that he would love to drive the silver arrow given half a chance.
I think whichever way Mercedes choose to go, they would be pulling someone from an active contract with a team. The least troublesome path is to put Wehrlein in the seat.
Alonso and Hamilton hate each other? They hide that very well when having a laugh and meeting up over a race weekend. I've not seen evidence for any hate to be honest.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stan Reid
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http://www.motorsportforums.com/show...etires-!/page4
have to ask why Pascal Wehrlein is not Confirmed any ware
In February 2016, it was announced that Wehrlein would make his F1 debut with Manor Racing. It is understood that Manor would receive access to Mercedes' wind tunnel in exchange for hiring Wehrlein.[
In September 2014, it was announced that Wehrlein would act as a reserve driver for the Mercedes F1 Team.[11] He took part in preseason testing in Barcelona, driving for both Force India and Mercedes.
Yeah they have both matured over the last 10 years and I don't see a future pairing being as difficult as the one McLaren had to endure. Both of them as team mates again would be a mouth watering prospect though!Quote:
Originally Posted by henners88
There is another fly in the ointment here, had there been no sweeping rule changes then Mercedes would have been without question the place to drive but now that there is, there is no guarantee of their competitiveness for next year so a driver going to their team is taking a bigger gamble than they normally would have than say this had happened last year. Plus, never in F1 history has any teams dominance survived massive rule changes.
So, will drivers want to take the risk to drive for Merc is the question?