Poll Would you have done what Nico has done?

[Il_leone]

Lewis Hamilton made Nico Rosberg retire from Formula 1 - Nationals

I've only seen that done when Prost was driven out of Mclaren by Senna

 

[cider_and_toast]

What a load of guff about finding a driver with the strength to stand up to the mental force that is Hamilton.



Hamilton's mental force has been called into question on a number of occasions. Snap chat, respect and press conferences anyone?

 

[gethinceri]

Yes, I would retire. I would also have a shit on Toto's desk and piss in Nikki's briefcase before leaving HQ.

 

[Il_leone]

cider_and_toast I think they mean his approach to racing when he is switched on - that relentless nature and his risk profile which is greater than Rosberg's

Well they are a lot of other factors I mean Nico has never been one to act animated like say Alonso over team orders refusal maybe that separates the very good to the greatest

How many drivers could cope with taking a constant battering that they are not as good as Hamilton ?

It was also the fact Nico said to himself that if he did not do it this year it he would comeback next year and try but he probably winning another title would mean putting himself at more risk

When your teammate is prepared to be more aggressive and almost unbreakable then it is difficult for you to get on level terms and it preys on your mind that you're driving out of your skin but the other guy is still faster

I use Prost vs Senna as an example because Prost was supposedly the best but Senna was simply winning every battle on track and off track which was getting to him and questioned his own mortality

I know he left bitterly after one season with Hamilton at Mclaren but Alonso should be regarded as his toughest teammate given this only pushed Alonso to go even faster and prepare to raise the stakes

 

[teabagyokel]

What a load of guff about finding a driver with the strength to stand up to the mental force that is Hamilton.

Pretty sure we could think of one who's not only got that strength, but is also a lovely boy.

 

[cider_and_toast]

You don't mean.....

Surely not.....

A race winner, a legend.

The man, the myth....

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No... its.......

Heikki Kovalainen?

 

[Incubus]

I can't actually remember a more shocking out of the blue retirement that this one.

I think the closest other drivers have come to that, I can think of, are Mike Hawthorn, Jackie Stewart and possibly Jodie Scheckter and Mika Hakkinen.

----------------------------------------

There is an even more out-of-the-blue retirement than this, and a double-one at that involving the same driver, and funnily enough it also involved a Rosberg.

Having missed out on the 1981 title race following a calamitous La Vegas GP which he'd started on pole, Carlos Reuteman was to be Williams' s number one driver the following season following Jones' s retirement. Then shocked everyone by announcing his retirement too. So late in the year that that year's Autocourse annual could not include the traditional tribute page in their 1981 edition.

Then shortly before 1982 began he changed his mind and followed that up with one of the very best performances of his career in the opening race of the season.
Then immediately following the second race he changed his mind yet again and retired for good, leaving Keke Rosberg as sole number one driver at Williams.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Well if we are talking about retirements in general then both Hunt and Lauda (the first time) were pretty sudden.

 

[Il_leone]

WIth regards to Reutemann 's retirement , was it not that he would only drive for Williams in 1982 if Jones was not his teammate
The fall out started when he would not move over when ordered by the team and Reutemann won the race. It proved crucial towards the title race

Jones got his own back by demanding equal treatment even at the last race in 1981 where Williams had to bring 4 cars but still Reutemann really did choke that day starting from pole and fading so badly to 8th

 

[Incubus]

cider_and_toast Yeah, I'm surprised they weren't the first names to come up when we started discussing sudden retirements?

 

[MartijnK]

When the race was over in Aby Dhabi I already thought it was a bit odd to see Rosberg *really* hugging everybody. He was already saying goodbye.

I can understand his reasoning and I respect him for that. But on the other hand he's actually saying he is not as good as the other current top 5 drivers in the championship. He knows he needed luck to beat Lewis and if the Merc is less dominant next year for sure he's not going to win the championship. Lewis might, but not Nico.

I think it was at Sky that I heard someone describe the difference between Lewis and Nico: Lewis has the raw talent and Nico has become good because of practice.

I've heard him panicking over the radio too many times, I've seen him being clumsy in wheel to wheel battles. I just don't think he's a top talented racer.
To his credit he did everything right regarding his career path in F1 and he learned what it takes to win the chamionship by driving alongside Lewis,

He has won now, he made his dad proud and can start to live the life I think he'll really love. He doesn't have to work anymore and can give his kids everything they need. Congrats Nico, you did it. You were not my favourite, but I can only respect your achievements.


Edit: I didn't vote in the poll.
I would have quit if I were him and I had his talent.
I wouldn't have quit I were him and had Hamilton's/Alonso's/Ricciardo's/Vettel's/Verstappen's talent.

 

[Incubus]

I can understand his reasoning and I respect him for that. But on the other hand he's actually saying he is not as good as the other current top 5 drivers in the championship.

I've heard him panicking over the radio too many times, I've seen him being clumsy in wheel to wheel battles. I just don't think he's a top talented racer.
To his credit he did everything right regarding his career path in F1 and he learned what it takes to win the chamionship by driving alongside Lewis,
.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Or quite simply maybe what he's actually saying is that he is now a family man with a wife child and he longer fancies spending half his wakng time hopping from one airport to the next?

As for "panicking" over the radio, how many times have we heard Hamilton over the radio frantically asking his pit to identify what turned out to be non-existant problems of fretting he'd been put on a race-losing tactic? (even though that at least famously turned out to be correct at Monaco last year)

 

[cider_and_toast]

cider_and_toast Yeah, I'm surprised they weren't the first names to come up when we started discussing sudden retirements?

I think initially we were talking in relation to soon after a world championship. Hunt retired mid way through the 79 season 3 years after his title.

 

[MartijnK]

----------------------------------------------------------------

Or quite simply maybe what he's actually saying is that he is now a family man with a wife child and he longer fancies spending half his wakng time hopping from one airport to the next?

As for "panicking" over the radio, how many times have we heard Hamilton over the radio frantically asking his pit to identify what turned out to be non-existant problems of fretting he'd been put on a race-losing tactic? (even though that at least famously turned out to be correct at Monaco last year)

Rosberg would have stayed had he not won the championship, he would have continued hopping from one airport to the next.

“I never give up so if I came second I would have going on for another year in 2017 for sure,” he said.

And for the radio messages, I was talking about Nico, not comparing him with Hamilton or anyone else.

He just had many of those "what do I need to do?" moments. His Monaco drive for instance was unworthy of a champion.
And when he thought he was doing the right thing, he messed up (Germany, Austria).

 

[Hamberg]

I've heard him panicking over the radio too many times, I've seen him being clumsy in wheel to wheel battles. I just don't think he's a top talented racer.

Name one current driver who hasn't done either?

 

[MartijnK]

Oh jeez, I'm sorry I don't like Rosberg (as a driver)!

I'm not saying other driver's didn't, but I always felt Rosberg needed too much coaching to get the job done.

And if you read this:

Big respect also to Lewis, of course, who was a big competitor for all these years, at an awesome level and one of the best drivers out there for sure. Even that makes it that little bit more special as well that I was able to take it away from him."

To me that's saying Hamilton was better than him.

Usually a Formula 1 driver thinks he's the absolute best himself.

 

[The Pits]

I think, deep down, he knows that he is unlikely to get another chance as good as this one, and i do think that there is more going on behind the scenes. But having achieved the ultimate goal, i believe that he felt he would be unable or unwilling to put himself through it all again, especially with a young family.

I can understand his desire to move on, there are many who have come and gone without achieving the ultimate prize.

 

[RasputinLives]

It's a drop the mic moment Isn't it? He knows he is not going to top the moment so why put himself through it? He probably had to become a very single minded less friendly person to get where he was (let's face it he pretty much had to destroy a friendship with one of his oldest friends) and he just didn't want to do it anymore.

I Don't believe the whole 'he knew he wasn't good enough' thing because every racing driver always believes they are the best and quickest whatever age they are, that's why they are pro racing drivers. I'm pretty sure Niki Lauda still thinks he's quicker than anyone on the current grid still.

 

[Greenlantern101]

I've not voted because I honestly don't know the answer.
I think it makes sense for Nico. So if the question was 'has Nico done the right thing' I would answer yes.
But the question is Would 'you' have retired. I don't race F1. I have no idea how difficult or easy it is living at Mereceds so I can't really answer.

But Nico I think made a good call. He has acheived his life time goal. He has a young family and he can now be a part of it growing up. And he has left one of the most dangerous jobs you can have, so his kids know he will be around day to day. I also suspect his dad gave him some sound advice. It was brave to call it a day but I think, for Nico, it was 100% inspired.

Good call.

 

[Rutherford]

Would I have done what Rosberg did?

No. I would have continued and would try to beat Hamilton and the rest of the field a second, a thrid, a fourth etc. time. I would try to beat as many records as possible. I growing up watching M. Schumacher setting all those records just wants you to beat them one day.

On the other hand, I'm not a F1 driver. Neither am I 31 y.o. with a family, nor have I spent 25 years of my life to try and achieve the goal of winning the F1 WDC.

Rosberg set his goal of winning one WDC when he was young he fulfilled his dream. If you look at his record he has been steadily improving apart from 2008 and now has won the WDC he cannot climb any higher in F1. He beat Hamilton, one of the best of this generation, he beat Michael Schumacher three years in a row, statistically the overall best driver. He doesn't have anything else to look for in this competition.