Discussion
Make of this what you will.
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says he would not be surprised if world champion Nico Rosberg eventually makes a Formula 1 comeback with Ferrari.
Rosberg shocked the F1 world in December last year when, just days after clinching his world title, he announced his retirement.
He said that the stresses of battling for a championship with Lewis Hamilton, allied to the fact that he had a young family, left him unwilling to commit for another season.
While Rosberg has insisted he is happy being away from F1 and he has no interest in returning to competition, Wolff suspects he may ultimately change his mind.
In a relaxed conversation with media in the paddock in Montreal, Wolff admitted he would not be totally surprised if Rosberg reappeared with Mercedes' current title rival.
"I think when he took the decision to retire it was because it was just too much," said Wolff.
"It was a very stressful year against probably the best driver in F1 and he felt, at that stage, exhausted. That is how he appeared to me.
"But he is 31 years old. If he is unlucky, he has another 70 years to go in his life!
"I will give you one [quote]: I wouldn't be surprised if he changes his mind in a year and reappears in a Ferrari! Or somewhere else."
Mercedes signed Valtteri Bottas from Williams at short notice to replace Rosberg when he stepped down last winter. Wolff added that he cannot envisage Rosberg following Fernando Alonso's example and trying IndyCar.
"I think that doing the Indy 500 is very challenging for a racing driver," he said. "I loved it because of Fernando, until he retired, but I don't think Nico calculating the risk and reward would go on to an oval with an Indycar."
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says he would not be surprised if world champion Nico Rosberg eventually makes a Formula 1 comeback with Ferrari.
Rosberg shocked the F1 world in December last year when, just days after clinching his world title, he announced his retirement.
He said that the stresses of battling for a championship with Lewis Hamilton, allied to the fact that he had a young family, left him unwilling to commit for another season.
While Rosberg has insisted he is happy being away from F1 and he has no interest in returning to competition, Wolff suspects he may ultimately change his mind.
In a relaxed conversation with media in the paddock in Montreal, Wolff admitted he would not be totally surprised if Rosberg reappeared with Mercedes' current title rival.
"I think when he took the decision to retire it was because it was just too much," said Wolff.
"It was a very stressful year against probably the best driver in F1 and he felt, at that stage, exhausted. That is how he appeared to me.
"But he is 31 years old. If he is unlucky, he has another 70 years to go in his life!
"I will give you one [quote]: I wouldn't be surprised if he changes his mind in a year and reappears in a Ferrari! Or somewhere else."
Mercedes signed Valtteri Bottas from Williams at short notice to replace Rosberg when he stepped down last winter. Wolff added that he cannot envisage Rosberg following Fernando Alonso's example and trying IndyCar.
"I think that doing the Indy 500 is very challenging for a racing driver," he said. "I loved it because of Fernando, until he retired, but I don't think Nico calculating the risk and reward would go on to an oval with an Indycar."
Crafty_ said:
Dryce said:
WDC points accumulationand the competence of his teammate indicate otherwise,
The underlying criticism seems to be that he's not Lewis. If the results and points had been reversed then nobody would be questioning Hamilton having won the 2016 WDC. If in that last race Nico had been the one backing up Lewis then there would have been a massive outcry,
And if Nico is underserving then it diminishes Hamilton because you have to explain why the gulf between them was not massively greater,
Reality is Hamilton is utterly brilliant but occasionally imperfect. If the WDC is close then those imperfect days cost disproportionately. Same thing could potentially happen this year slugging it down to the last point with vettel.
You are discounting that Hamilton was fighting with one hand tied behind his back most of the time.The underlying criticism seems to be that he's not Lewis. If the results and points had been reversed then nobody would be questioning Hamilton having won the 2016 WDC. If in that last race Nico had been the one backing up Lewis then there would have been a massive outcry,
And if Nico is underserving then it diminishes Hamilton because you have to explain why the gulf between them was not massively greater,
Reality is Hamilton is utterly brilliant but occasionally imperfect. If the WDC is close then those imperfect days cost disproportionately. Same thing could potentially happen this year slugging it down to the last point with vettel.
I think its fair to say had he enjoyed the reliability Rosberg did, he's likely to be x4 WDC. Even if he wasn't perfect all the time (Baku for example).
But, thats not what happened. Just like Keke circumstances for Rosberg prevailed. It happens.
Difficult to say either were the best driver on the grid in their WDC years - but ultimately, they won and are in the history books.
lets move on
He would have won if he'd scored more points.
He would have won if he hadn't made so many bad starts.
He would have won if he hadn't completely f
ked up in Baku. He lost. Get over it.
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