Nico Rosberg has announced his retirement from Formula One, just five days after winning his maiden drivers’ championship.
The German secured the podium finish he required at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to beat team-mate Lewis Hamilton to the title by a mere five points.
Rosberg spoke in the aftermath about the stress he was under during a thrilling title race with the Briton, with whom he has endured a difficult relationship over their battle for supremacy in F1.
And the 31-year-old, speaking ahead of the FIA Prize Giving Gala in Vienna, confirmed his shock retirement with immediate effect.
“I want to take the opportunity to announce that I have decided to end my Formula One career in this moment here,” said Rosberg.
“It’s hard to explain, it has been ever since I started when I was six years old, I had a very clear dream and that was to become Formula One world champion.
“Now I’ve achieved that, I’ve put everything into it for 25 years of racing and with the help of everybody around me, with the help of fans and the help of my team and my family and friends I have managed to achieve that this year.
“So it has been an incredible experience for me that I will remember forever.
“At the same time, it has been very, very tough also because the last two years losing to Lewis were extremely difficult moments for me, which fuelled my motivation in a way that I didn’t even know was possible to fight back and to achieve my dream finally.”
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