Formula One champion Nico Rosberg announces shock retirement from sport
Nico Rosberg has announced his unexpected retirement from Formula One only five days after reaching the pinnacle of the sport by winning the World Championship.
The 31-year-old won his first world title on Sunday after he pipped Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in the last race of the season in Abu-Dhabi, after he came off second best to the British driver for the last two seasons.
Rosberg revealed in a press conference in Vienna that having achieved his dream of winning the drivers' championship he had now reached his peak and felt no need to continue his career.
In a post published on his personal Facebook page, the German said that the decision "feels right".
"Since 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my 'one thing' to become Formula One World Champion," Rosberg wrote. "Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target. And now I've made it. I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right."
Rosberg's battles with Hamilton have become the dominating theme of the past three F1 seasons, with the two men at times becoming antagonistic towards each other, going against convention in the motorsport championship.
"This season, I tell you, it was so damn tough," wrote Rosberg. "I pushed like crazy in every area after the disappointments of the last two years; they fuelled my motivation to levels I had never experienced before."