Lauda tried to keep Rosberg at Mercedes: 'Would have been easier'

Nico Rosberg has not been an F1 driver for over four-and-a-half years after he retired from the sport as world champion at the end of 2016. Since then, the German has started to focus more on sustainable living but has also always done a lot in Formula 1, in the role of analyst and expert.

In Vienna, Rosberg announced on 2 December 2016 that he was going to quit, but that was actually much too early, he acknowledges in conversation with Motorsport-Total.com. "I would have liked to have celebrated another month with the world title and then said at some point that I was going to stop. If it had been up to me, I wouldn't have done it until January either."

Decision for the team

"A month of celebrations, then Christmas and then sometime in January saying, 'I'm going to quit." However, Rosberg recognised that by doing so he was going to cause the team a lot of problems and therefore chose to bring forward his announcement. "I only did it for Toto Wolff and the team, very simple. For me, it was not good to announce my resignation there already."

Yet Rosberg did just that in Vienna and it put a small bomb under the drivers' market. Valtteri Bottas was extracted and as a result, Felipe Massa was allowed to postpone his retirement by a year. "The only reason it was so early is because Mercedes had to reposition itself and look for a new driver,"said Rosberg.

Mercedes made attempts

Nevertheless, Mercedes still tried everything possible to keep Rosberg driving for the German team in 2017. Rosberg, however, indicates that he was already thinking of quitting before Abu Dhabi, as long as he managed to win the title. Mercedes, however, was keen to see him drive for longer at the team. "Especially Niki Lauda tried that. It would be easier for them if I had continued to drive for Mercedes," Rosberg concluded.