After winning the 2016 F1 title, Nico Rosberg shocked even his father by retiring without saying a word—until after the fact.
Keke Rosberg revealed that his son Nico did not inform him of his voluntary retirement at the end of the 2016 season. After winning the world title, the Mercedes F1 driver announced just a few days later that he would be ending his career.
However, he did not tell his father, who understood the reasoning behind it.
“He said nothing. Nico sent a message to his mother and asked her to tell his father later. It felt like a heavy punch to the chest,” Keke Rosberg admitted.
“Nico knew that if he started talking to me about it, his father’s opinion might carry a lot of weight—something he didn’t want to deal with. In any case, the decision was already hard enough to make.”
Despite the disappointment of seeing his son retire, the 1982 world champion is happy to have witnessed him achieve what he set out to do, as his world title marked the conclusion of his career.
“The most important thing was undoubtedly Nico’s championship.”
“For me, that championship was just one step. For Nico, it wasn’t. It was a major event. It was already quite a significant moment in terms of family history. In our family, my own championship mostly interested my father and mother.”
A few days ago, Keke Rosberg revealed that his health had started to decline (read more here). He shared a bit more about the long Covid that has affected him.
“I was no longer able to continue my activities. I stopped everything and became a recluse.”
“Long Covid is still not fully understood. Many people are suffering from it severely.”
“For me too, it’s a secondary problem, made worse by isolation. I barely have any energy left.”