no I had no opinion on it before i just though LH was a better driver [though i do actively dislike the tax avoiding foreign exile flag waver]

Wonder what made him do that?

New baby, reached the pinnacle, achnowledges he was lucky and unlikely to ever become WC again so best to go out on a high?

I always liked him more than LH as a human being

Me too. And this was a human being level of decision making.

Has anyone else just experienced a complete change of mind about the character of Nico Rosberg?

Yeah – he’s a quitter as he knows he is highly unlikely to have such a run of good fortune again in the future in order to win a second Championship.

I suspect Nico knows that he will never be in a position to win another WC, so you may as well quit while you’re at the top?

Wonder who’s phones are ringing off the hook?

Suspect Mercedes will want someone experienced to help with next years development race and can be very choosy considering they’ll have a title winning car.

Wow again!
(Tin foil hat mode: Mercedes did deal for rosberg walks away with big pay off and Mercedes avoid arguing drivers next year?)

Edit:above suggestions more sensible than mine

Good on him.

Young guy with a young family and a bucket load of cash.

I’d love to see them with Verstappen but he could be such a liability and take out Hamilton every other race….

that seat is a major prize for someone…..who’s Merc’s reserve driver?

It’s a bit like Jack Bobridge… retiring young to put his family first. Kudos. As for being a quitter, most people rarely grow up doing the thing that makes them their living, their fortune and their fame. He’s been racing for most of his life so why not sign off at the pinnacle? Whatever happens the only way is down, even if he wins the next title and the one after that. People are already saying Alonso is dying a death by a thousand cuts with his years at McLaren and Ferrari and chances are, all people will remember is the struggle years not the triumphant ones.

V and H in the same team is not going to end at all well….

Wehrlein could be good to chance but I’m sure Ocon has a force majeure exit from Force India in his contract too. Both are worth a risk as Hamilton, all things equal, should be winning as usual.

Who’s going to jump to MB before knowing if it’s as good (compered to the others) before the first race?

Its got to be Wehrlein – he was the guy they were going to put in the car when Hamilton threatened to quit after Spain

The only available top name would be Button, who i’d love to see in the car but its highly unlikely

Alonso would be ace – but i bet Hamilton would have a veto on it!!

“Good on him.
Young guy with a young family and a bucket load of cash”

This. F1 is good, but so is being around a lot for your kids.

Didn’t see that coming. So the guy who picks up the drivers’ trophy tonight is no longer an F1 driver…

Im not surprised he has quit. He was never going to have that much good luck to win it again. He is like Button, hit lucky with the car for 1 year and so won the championship. If he stayed it would be back to normal number 2 driver for the team

Didn’t see that coming. So the guy who picks up the drivers’ trophy tonight is no longer an F1 driver…

He’ll look a bit stupid if they pick up on this hand the trophy to the guy who came second. 😆
I think it does show something about him when he feels he’s not good enough to defend his title.

That’s an epic level flounce of magical proportions. I guess LH will be no1 driver for 17, who’ll be his bitch, I mean team mate.

But Toto understood. He knew straight away that I was completely convinced and that reassured me.

Can you imagine the sigh of relief from Toto as he realised he didn’t have to manage the pair of them next year??!

It’s a huge shock, but Nico put everything into this season. Can’t blame him one bit for putting family first.

I bet Fernando is on the phone as I type…

I wonder if Perez might get asked. I would view him as a really great but often under-rated driver. Never really been in a fast car but still always managed to bother the top positions regularly.

I reckon he would give LH a proper run for his money. Might be a little bit too feisty though, he doesn’t really back down easily.

Can you imagine the sigh of relief from Toto as he realised he didn’t have to manage the pair of them next year??!

TBH, there’s no driver Lewis will play well with if they challenge his primacy. Wehrlein, for example, has won arguably the most competitive championship in the world and, assuming he can make the step up, he won’t be phased by Lewis. If Magnussen was available I’d bet he wouldn’t be inclined to take any shit from Lewis in the same team either.

I think I’ve said before about Lewis verbally abusing a driver he drove into in FRS in 2003 at Brands Hatch. Everyone was embarrassed, even his team, but it’s his nature; Lewis first, everyone else second. It’s taken him where he is but it’s not for everyone.

Werlein would be a good choice, then they’d have a natural 1 2 pecking order as well. Button would be epic but I suppose he’s contracted up to the nipples by McLaren.

Can’t see Merc replacing Rosberg with Verstapen or an older driver. They have the fastest guy anyway who will win them the championship so my guess is they’ll pick a younger development driver for an easier life.

Wehrlein isn’t a pushover, sadly. He led the DTM for a lot of the season he won and withstood the pressure well. I was at the Nurburgring and despite being hard pressed by his rivals he was happy to come and chat. I’d imagine Ocon is also of a similar mental makeup; it’s their lives not a job.

Big respect for Nico, there are very very few people in the world that can say they have achieved their childhood dream, made a boat load of cash doing it and realized that they have done what they set out to achieve and can move on.

He should consider himself one of the very privileged few – chapeau.

There seems to be a lot of people on here underestimating Rosberg. I think to win a championship against Hamilton is a massive achievement, I was thinking of the last time someone did something similar:
.
Last man to win a world championship after being team-mates to someone when they won a championship – Villeneuve, 1997 (team-mates with HIll who won in 1996)
Last man to win a world championship while still team-mates with someone who won a title – Prost 1989 (team-mates with Senna who won in 1988)
Last man to win his first championship while team-mates with a former champion – Senna 1988 while team-mates with Prost
Last (only other?) man to win his first title while still team-mates with someone who had won a championship while they were team-mates – Prost 1986 (team-mates with Lauda who won in 1985)
The only other person ever to win a championship while team-mates with a three-times World Champion – Prost 1986.
Last man to win a championship while team-mates with someone who had won consecutive championships – Senna 1988 (team-mate to Prost who had won in 1985 and 1986)
Rosberg is the only driver ever to win a championship against a team-mate who has won consecutive championships whilst they were team-mates.
.
Does all that read like it should?
.
So we have to go back 20 or 30 years to find a similar achievement. No I don’t rate him as highly as Senna and Prost but that’s still a hell of achievement.

If Magnussen was available I’d bet he wouldn’t be inclined to take any shit from Lewis in the same team either.

I’m sorry but Magnussen? He has done nothing at all. Beaten totally by Palmer in qualifying.

I think it’s funny that the most interesting thing about the 2016 season happens after the season has finished 🙂

I always wondered why nico never got his wonky ear fixed. It must be uncomfortable in the helmet.

I think to win a championship against Hamilton is a massive achievement strokes of good fortune several times throughout the season

Didn’t see that one coming. Fair enough, think its a mature decision to be honest.

Merc won’t put another “senior” driver in the 2nd car. Wehrlein is the obvious choice

wtaf
makes my one hit wonder prediction true sooner than I’d imagined

There seems to be a lot of people on here underestimating Rosberg. I think to win a championship against Hamilton is a massive achievement, I was thinking of the last time someone did something similar:

Winning a two horse race when your opponents horse broke down repeatedly. massive achievement.

Has Button written all over it.

Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari won’t let any signed race driver go even for millions as it’s a massive show of a lack of confidence and that they don’t believe they can compete.

I’d be shocked if Mercedes threw wehrlein in, much better in a lower team for a season as a season with Hamilton could destroy him mentally quite easily.

Almost certainly going to be wehrlein… He’s already a Mercedes driver, he does testing, he’s German and he’s quick. It’s what the next feeder programme is all about.

And him acing the starts when Hami struggled?

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Massive respect for that decision which goes against the norm and what so many people would have expected.

Rosberg has given Mercedes the maximum possible time to plan for 2017. We may find out how fast Hamilton is depending on who gets the drive. It could go one of two very different ways, a clear number 2 or a World Championship contender and real pressure on Hamilton in 2017 or 2018.

Has anyone else just experienced a complete change of mind about the character of Nico Rosberg?

Agreed, after this and the way he was after winning Abu Dhabi I have actually warmed to him a little. And now also relieved That it won’t be changed by him returning to his weird combiation of awkwardness and smugness next year!

I think he deserved this WC a lot more than peole give him credit for. He did have some luck, but he also put in enough hard graft to be able to take advantage of it too!

My prediction is Alonso to Mercedes but the new car turns out to be a dog and Alonso battles heroically to 2nd in the championship. McHonda produce a stunning car and win the championship with Hamiltion, who threw a tantrum when MB hired Alonso and stormed back to McLaren in a huff.