F1 and motorsport 2016

[SouthdownRebel]

F1 and motorsport 2016

Yes, that was a sad moment.

Enjoyed the desperation of Sky's team to argue that Lewis's tactics were acceptable. I dare say that most other drivers would have done the same thing. Roll on the rule changes and, with a bit of luck, a challenge to Mercedes next year.

[longeared]

F1 and motorsport 2016

Worst world champion since Villeneuve.

Not seen today's race, but of course Hamilton was going to back him into the field. May all this season be looked back on as when it bottomed out and the new rules and Liberty takeover take the sport into a far better era.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

F1 and motorsport 2016

I wish Rosberg had driven the spoilt little tax-dodging twat off at the first corner, and then we could have enjoyed a race. Hamilton did, to be fair, make it very "exciting", at the end, by driving like the fucking safety car, but come on, is that what F1 is reduced to, now?

[ursus arctos]

F1 and motorsport 2016

Nico Rosberg has announced his retirement from F1, saying that the sacrifices he had to make to be World Champion were just too great for him to do it again.

[Kevin S]

F1 and motorsport 2016

Blimey.

[longeared]

F1 and motorsport 2016

That is astonishing, came out of absolutely nowhere.

Suddenly there is a vacancy at Mercedes. Perez? Wehrlein?

[Wouter D]

F1 and motorsport 2016

Wow!

[ursus arctos]

F1 and motorsport 2016

Keke decided that he was going to retire two years before he did, and stuck to that deadline precisely, despite being still competitive.

I wonder if Nico had a similar deadline linked to a title.

[Kevin S]

F1 and motorsport 2016

Having a look down the rosters, Perez was the name that jumped out at me first. He won further Brownie points for ditching his sponsor, a sunglasses company, for posting one of the Donald's offensive tweets about Mexicans.

So there are four vacancies now - Mercedes, Sauber and two at MRT.

[ursus arctos]

F1 and motorsport 2016

There have been rumblings in Germany (before this) about Mercedes taking a run at Verstappen in the event they parted ways with Hamilton.

I would expect those only to increase now.

[longeared]

F1 and motorsport 2016

I would absolutely love them to find a way to do a deal with Alonso.

[Kevin S]

F1 and motorsport 2016

... which would then mean Button goes again for McLaren...?

[Kevin S]

F1 and motorsport 2016

Andrew Benson (BBC F1 writer) is tweeting:

So, next question is who gets Rosberg's seat? The obvious answer is Wehrlein. But it would be quite a call to put him in against Hamilton

Problem is, who else is there? Alonso, Vettel, Verstappen, Ricciardo all under contract until at least the end of 2017, if not longer

On this driver front, Ron Dennis insisted that Alonso did not have a get-out clause. But then he would, wouldn't he?

And might Wolff fancy Ricciardo? It would solve a lot of potential dramas for Red Bull. And what about an upset and unsettled Vettel?

But... How about Bottas? Quick, Wolff manages him, calm, would be no trouble. Do a deal with Williams....

All just speculation, of course.

[evilC]

F1 and motorsport 2016

Fair play to Rosberg.

If he doesn't retire completely, then I hope he just goes to a different formula that he simply finds more enjoyable. W.E.C. or some national Touring Cars championship, for instance.

(I'm so out of touch I that only found out the other day that Loeb has joined Solberg, Block et al in the WRX! Now, that's a fun formula - and not just for ex-WRC drivers, too.)

[jason voorhees]

F1 and motorsport 2016

ursus arctos wrote: Nico Rosberg has announced his retirement from F1, saying that the sacrifices he had to make to be World Champion were just too great for him to do it again.

I thought this was an Onion/Daily Mash report.

Damn.

I loved the last 3 years.