Nico Rosberg shocked the F1 world with his retirement announcement, less than a week after becoming world champion. His resolve is clear, however, so it’s up to Mercedes now to find a replacement for the best seat on the grid. Naturally, every driver has been linked with the team already, but Toto Wolff has shot down some of the bigger rumours, saying: “It’s not my intention to interfere with Ferrari’s internal issues… it’s the same thing with Alonso – what would Ferrari and McLaren do without Vettel and Alonso in December?”
Pascal Wehrlein is the more obvious choice, given his status as a Mercedes junior driver racing with the Manor team, but it depends on how much experience is required. Wehrlein says: “The team knows I would love to drive for them, the tests I did were great. I cannot call them every day to say what’s happening, I don’t want to be annoying.”
And Hamilton has opened the Mercedes welcoming arms, saying: “It’s a great environment. When you’re in the Mercedes family, it’s a beautiful place to be.”
Filed under F1Minute
References Nico Rosberg, Pascal Wehrlein, Toto Wolff
Previous story Rosberg celebrates becoming 2016 F1 World Champion
Next story Mercedes admit wrong decisions made in Abu Dhabi
Popular news stories
365 F1 stories
Recent stories