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Niki Lauda angry with Nico Rosberg retirement call

Published on 06 Dec 2016 15:26
6
By: Dominik Wilde

Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda has admitted hbe is angry with Nico Rosberg's decision to retire from Formula One.

The German sensationally quit F1 just days after being crowned champion, despite signing a multi-year contract renewal earlier in the year.

"He told me it was because of stress," Lauda told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

He also told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag: "I am a notorious planner, always with an emergency plan, and even I did not expect such a thing."

Lauda said that it is the fact that Rosberg is claiming he would have continued if he didn't win the title which is bothering him.

"On one hand, you have to accept if Nico wants to go," he said. "But on the other, Nico signed a two year contract with us in August.

"What bothers me is that Nico tells us that if he had not become world champion, he would have gone on. I think he could at least have hinted at this when he agreed the contract.

"He says he just wanted to be champion and then stop, but the problem is that he never gave any signals that this was his concept.

"After all, 1200 people of the F1 division at Mercedes gave him every opportunity to become world champion with a super car. And then he gave us his resignation overnight.

"This lone decision of Nico's - and I mean everyone at Brackley and with Mercedes and many people who have worked closely with him, his engineers and mechanics - has ripped a giant hole in this excellent working team," said Lauda.

Kevin

Posts: 5,341

The more Lauda speaks, the more I tend to dislike the guy.

1
Dec 6 2016 - 22:43

F1 News Nico Rosberg Mercedes

Replies (6)

denis1304

Posts: 284
i don't think Nico will lose any sleep over what Lauda has to say now. Why didn't he say anything in 5 days after last race regarding LH conduct?
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- Dec 6 2016 - 18:52
- ianf1
  
  Posts: 185
  Would Nico have stayed if LH had been penalised (or fired) by the team?
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  Dec 7 2016 - 10:33
Kevin

Posts: 5,341
The more Lauda speaks, the more I tend to dislike the guy.
- + 1
- Dec 6 2016 - 22:43
- Hemex
  
  Posts: 1,307
  Why would you dislike Lauda for saying what everybody at Mercedes feels? Of course they are gutted. Nico has left them with a legacy that might very fell hamper them all year long and ultimately could cost them next years Championship. No telling what that would mean financially either. Wouldn't you be angry if you were in their shoes?
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  Dec 7 2016 - 09:13
calle.itw

Posts: 8,527
If you had prepared for every scenario you'd prepare for one of your drivers leaving. After all, isnt this why you have drivers like Wehrlein on a leach?
- + 0
- Dec 7 2016 - 12:01
mbmwe36

Posts: 533
If I was in Lauda's position, I'd feel the same way. There's only so much planning a team can do, and had they known back then, they could've kept some doors open until after the last race. Now it's gonna be a struggle to see which contacts are ironclad, and which aren't. Otherwise they are stuck with someone like Wehrlein who doesn't seem to be ready just yet. I wouldn't be surprised if they pull someone like Massa out of retirement, unless of course there are loopholes in some of the top guys' contracts.

I can't blame Rosberg either though. Had he dropped a hint about it back then, it's not too far fetched to think that his car wouldn't get a few problems. Because with all things being equal, there's more value for Mercedes having the reigning world champ drive for them
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- Dec 7 2016 - 14:17