Nico Rosberg quits: Five reasons why the world champion has sensationally retired from F1 just days after winning his first championship
The 31-year-old German has walked out on the sport at the summit with a young family waiting for him
NICO ROSBERG would still have had the sweet taste of celebratory champagne lingering in his mouth when he made the decision to quit Formula 1 just five days after being crowned champion for the first time on Sunday.
The 31-year-old German released an emotional statement mentioning his wife and daughter and his desire to walk out of his own accord – at the top – and in full health on Friday afternoon.
SunSport looks at the five reasons for his shock F1 retirement - that stunned fans - so soon after winning the championship.
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He has reached the zenith of the sport
For two consecutive seasons before this triumphant one, Rosberg finished in agonising second.
In 2014 he racked up five wins and 317 points, only to be left clutching silver and last year he improved again with six victories and 322 points but was still only the bridesmaid.
Those near misses are what have made this championship win so sweet.
To have risked his life in the 38 races in the two previous years and come away with a runners-up medal would have hurt.
That’s why this win – across 21 races with nine first-place finishes and 385 points – must feel like the pinnacle.
Like a boxer losing two world title shots before finally reaching the top, by finally going from also-ran to champion, Rosberg realised a dream that he had held since childhood and – for all the risk involved – he has decided it’s best to retire now.
He is going out at his peak
On the back of the Abu Dhabi celebrations, Rosberg could have at least enjoyed another season basking in the limelight.
Even if he had finished last in every race of the upcoming 2017 season, he would still have been the reigning, defending champion.
But that tokenism didn’t mean anything to the German who wanted to walk out on the sport before his talents deserted him.
The adulation and respect that a sportsman of his ilk gets – by staring death in the face with every lap – can be addictive and sportsmen often struggle to replace that buzz with anything else.
But Rosberg appears supremely confident that he knows his talent and body and that this is the most opportune time to bow out at the top.
To enjoy his young family
Rosberg married sweetheart Vivian Sibold on 11 July 2014 after a lengthy engagement.
The sport is famous for hard-living rogues down the years who have basked in their daredevil reputations and enjoyed the fruits of their labours with some of the most beautiful women in the world.
But Rosberg does not appear to have ever been seduced by the celebrity razzmatazz that loiters around his sport.
The understated star is so grateful to his wife for putting her life on hold and raising their daughter – almost single-handedly at times – to allow the Mercedes driver to focus totally on the task of cementing his name among the F1 greats.
All that travelling around the world and high-speed risk taking creates concern both in and out of the cars as drivers worry about their families and vice versa.
Now – with a tidy sum of earnings tucked away and dozens of lucrative offers available to him – Rosberg can walk away from the sport unharmed and enjoy watching his daughter grow up.
Can’t catch the greatest
After you join that elite band of F1 championship winners there is not much to aim for – unless you have a chance of beating the incrediuble record of seven titles F1 legend Michael Schumacher holds.
Schui won his first title in just his third full season and won five on the spin between 2000 and 2004.
At 31 it was impossible for Rosberg to ever get close to that benchmark especially with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and upcoming Max Verstappen vying for top spots.
Hamilton is also 31 but he has already hit three championships and – although it would take something miraculous – he could still aim to equal Schumacher’s trophy haul. Rosberg, however, is prefering to step aside with his name etched into history and a new life ahead of him.