Nico Rosberg does not believe that newly crowned world champion Lando Norris will follow in his footsteps. The German driver won his first world title in 2016 after a long internal battle with teammate Lewis Hamilton, and immediately bid farewell to Formula 1. Norris also won his first world championship after a title fight with, among others, teammate Oscar Piastri, but according to Rosberg, the Brit is far from thinking about retirement.
For years, Nico Rosberg was embroiled in the so-called Silver War with teammate Lewis Hamilton as a Mercedes driver. The two men were each other’s biggest rivals, until the German, after winning his first title in 2016, immediately said goodbye to Formula 1. Fans of the premier class who have followed the title battle between the McLaren drivers this year may find the scenario familiar. Reigning world champion Lando Norris also fought an internal battle with teammate Oscar Piastri, before securing his first title in Abu Dhabi with a lead of two World Championship points over Max Verstappen.
However, Rosberg believes the comparison ends there. The current analyst doesn’t think that Norris will hang up his racing helmet immediately after his first world title. “I’m sure he’s not even thinking about that,” Rosberg tells Sky F1. “He still believes he has many great years ahead of him. Of course, he is also younger than I was at the time.” Norris is currently 26 years old, while Rosberg clinched his first title at the age of 31.
No Regrets
However, Rosberg has no regrets about his sudden departure from Formula 1. “Everyone does it in their own way,” the German explains. “For me, it just felt like I was at the peak and I wanted to stop at the peak. It just felt like a beautiful moment to do that after a long career. For me personally, it was really the right decision. I know many people were disappointed because it was such a great battle at the time.”
