Mercedes to wait till 2017 before announcing world champion's replacement

Three weeks ago, in the wake of his F1 Grand Prix win, Nico Rosberg shocked Formula 1 racing fans when he announced his retirement from the sport and Mercedes had decided not to spoil the Xmas celebrations by holding off until the new year before announcing his replacement.

Williams' Valtteri Bottas, who is the man widely expected to pair Lewis Hamilton for the world champions  remains the front-runner for the seat but might decide to stick to his current team due to his contractual obligations and other difficulties.


Even Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel had been mooted as potential candidates for the Mercedes seat in the immediate aftermath of Rosberg's shock retirement but both former champions are set to stay at their respective current teams.

31 year old German Nico Rosberg started racing at the age of 21 with Williams and retired having an impressive record of 23 wins, career points 1594.5 and 57 podiums after a 10 year career. Rosberg chose to leave when the ovation was loudest when he won his first and only championship with Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2016.

 

Best of luck, Rosberg!!