Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has called Nico Rosberg’s retirement a “brave decision” and says that Mercedes is still evaluating options for the future.
While the team has Manor driver and Mercedes protégé Pascal Wehrlein on standby it obviously has to explore other options – but it seems highly unlikely that it will be able to get another superstar driver out of an existing contract unless someone has an exit clause that could now be triggered.
“This is a brave decision by Nico and testament to the strength of his character,” said Wolff. “He has chosen to leave at the pinnacle of his career, as World Champion, having achieved his childhood dream. The clarity of his judgment meant I accepted his decision straight away when he told me.
“It's impossible to capture the essence of a person in a few short words. But Nico has a special combination of natural talent and fighting spirit that have brought him to where he is today. Throughout his career, people have thought he was on a golden path to success just because his father was a World Champion; in fact, I think in some ways that made the challenge greater - and meant he had to fight even harder with the weight of expectation on his shoulders.
“With Mercedes, Nico has been a relentless competitor, bouncing back from tough times in an inspirational way, and he earned the respect of the sport with his tenacity, his fighting spirit and his grace under pressure. Since 2010, he has poured competitive energy into our team and we have grown stronger because of it. We simply say 'thank you' for the incredible contribution he has made to our success, alongside two of the all-time great drivers, Michael and Lewis.”
Regarding the future, he said: “For the team, this is an unexpected situation but also an exciting one. We are going into a new era of technical regulations and there is a free Mercedes cockpit for the seasons ahead. We will take the necessary time to evaluate our options and then find the right path for our future.”
