ROSBERG RETIRES!

That's awesome...I had no idea. Young F1 fan here - appreciate the education : )

I personally like the bit where he was *****ing about the Jaguar drivers and how easy F1 cars were to drive, said he could drive it, then was slow as hell and spun the thing multiple times. I have to give the guy credit for continuing on in F1 after making such an ass of himself.

 

Lauda was the epitome of this so stated by Nico - Rosberg said there is little room for pure selfishness in F1, "But my life belongs to me".

Lauda needs to move on. Nico has and its all good. The seat is open and the team can continue. He told the team rather quickly after the title was one. He gave his time and effort to the TEAM. Hey Lauda - SHUT UP for once and move on! Its done. You have a ballerina to worry about LOL!

 

Serious question, does anybody think Nico will have any regrets?

His statement reads very ellequant and considered, demonstrating that it's the right decision for him to go now, but he's a racer and has been for years. Racing is in his blood, so is that something he can just switch off?

 

Nope....the physical changes resulting from the stress were very visible. I think he was shooting very straight about how consumed and disgusted he was by losing, and how exhausted and worn out he was in winning.

I can see him moving to LeMans/sports cars, which is more a true team environment. He's still a fast driver...he will do well with a structure more fitting of his personality.

 

Sports cars / Le Mans would be a good call, like Webber he'll be fast. I'm not sure I'd agree on the team environment being better suited though. More relaxed certainly but if anything his relationship with his co-drivers is vital. In a good Le Mans team, he'll excel.

 

Thanks for correction.

 

At one time Lauda was my favorite. Not so anymore. He and I are about the same age. As we age some people talk too much.

 

He realized that 2016 the stars aligned his way and that this was a non repeatable feat and thus bowed out at the top.

If he does Le Mans/endurance racing, I'm sure he'll end up winning. F1 is heads and shoulders above those guys.

 

Don't agree.

I think he knows it would have been much harder, and that Merc may not even be the top team next year. I don't believe he thought it would be impossible to repeat; certainly very difficult though. Add that to the obvious toll the past 3 years have had on him, and the decision was clear.

Seems that way judging by how well the F1 guys do in WEC. Of course, they also go to the best teams.

 

Oh, this was not done with the purpose "to educate", just because back in those days, in 1979, (I was 19) it was something rather astonishing: at the time Niki must have been the best paid driver on the grid, and the way he left the sport was front page news.
Imagine one of the best drivers on the grid: he stopped his car in the middle of the qualifications, packed his laundry and left the sport, on the spot (he came back two years later).
But by doing this, he left his boss, Bernie Ecclestone, high and dry.
To the credit of Bernie, he remained unflappable as ever: "Niki wants to leave, what would I gain by begging him to stay? You want to leave, well leave".
But Bernie didn't have a "B-plan" and no reserve driver when Niki left; so it is rather ironic to read Niki saying today that what Nico has done to the team is creating a problem...
(By the way, that same year, James Hunt left in the middle of the season, after retiring at the Monaco Grand Prix, saying that he didn't enjoy himself anymore and that he was begining to get scared)

Re Niki, I am fond of "the Rat", he is always doing things in his own way, being his own man, speaking his mind, not politically correct.
But I have to admit that even if he usually is very witty, he also says dumb things from time to time. He would be the first one to admit it, mind you!

Rgds

 

I do not understand why you repeatingly state so...It is not like Lewis was head and shoulders above Nico the previous 3 years, otherwise he would not have to play mind games with him and push him of the track from time to time. There is not that much between them like you want to make us believe when a single DNF in 21(!) races makes the difference. Nico could have repeated this result now finally knowing he could beat Lewis but he was not willing to pay the price, especially the mental price with these ongoing mind games.

Difference is that Nico has other things in life (family) but obviously Lewis not, although he tries to make everybody believe so with his twitter/instagram account. I doubt that there will be so many people around him once he quits F1 and the spotlight turns away, and I doubt that an active music career is really realistic. He might record a CD while still known and some of his fans might ever buy that but do you think this will make a career???

 

+1 - One title or 4 does not matter. Simple fact is LH lost and lots of reasons come into play. Baku and his starts to name 2. Enough of this Nico is not a worthy title holder. He is and some will sleep better accepting that its REALITY and not fake news from Facejoke or somewhere else. LH lost. World turns.....shocking but true.

 

+1

 

+1

I know all about that.

I am the same age as Nikki and I am regularly told at home that I upset everybody because I speak my mind!!!

 

What if Mercedes brings an outside driver? Buemi or Piquet Jr, for example? Both have been driving at F-E and WEC, have 30 years or so, both FIA world champions... Am I going to far?

By the way, during the Mercedes end of the year factory event in Stuttgart, Mick Schumacher Junior was among the Mercedes drivers. Has he been already officially announced as part of the Mercedes junor team?

 

Piquet Jr burnt his F1 bridges years ago and then dropped the ashes into an active Volcano! - He's too tainted to come back to F1!

You'll see Niki Lauda racing the 2nd Mercedes before you'll ever see Piquet Jr racing it!


As for Buemi, nice guy and all that, and a decent enough driver, but he had his chance in F1 and it didn't work out. If he had what it takes then he would be back in F1 already!

 

Glad to hear it's not just us telling you that.

 

Why should Nico care what anybody thinks about him?

 

Product endorsement

 

+1 and about zero between LH and Button as well. How soon all the cheerleaders and twitter trash forget that. LH is not a dominant driver given the current competition. The car is....period.

 

Whoa, you are asking for trouble. Don't you know Lewis is the best ever and most charasmatic driver ever to grace the F1 grid? No other driver could haul that poor car to the front of the grid like he did...

In all seriousness look at Hamilton's record while he was at McLaren and that is the accurate reflection on his talent. He is very good, but extremely flattered by the most dominant car in the history of F1 and rules that locked that advantage for the last 3 years, nothing more and nothing less. He did not get seriously more talented when he left McLaren and went to Mercedes, your point is spot on.

 

Exactly. !