Nico Rosberg has no imminent plans to return to F1, despite a seat becoming open at Mercedes for 2025.
Nico Rosberg has ruled himself out of the contest to replace former Mercedes colleague Lewis Hamilton, whom he defeated in 2016 to win the World Championship.
The former Formula One driver, who had given it his all to defeat the seven-time World Champion, notably announced his retirement from the sport a few days after winning the championship.
Rosberg’s name has been associated with the 103-time race winner’s seat since Hamilton remarkably left Mercedes to join Ferrari at the end of this year.
To avoid throwing juvenile prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli into the deep end too soon, it has been speculated that Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff may sign a temporary replacement for George Russell in 2025.
Antonelli is stepping up into Formula 2 with Prema Racing in 2024 after winning the FRECA championship the previous year. Considered the fastest driver in an F3 car since Max Verstappen, the young Italian is expected to become a World Champion in the future.
Although Wolff has made it clear that he doesn’t want to hasten the 17-year-old’s development, Mercedes seems to have a true star in their academy. By contracting a temporary substitute, such as an older driver, Antonelli would have more time to run a second campaign in Formula 2 or perhaps finish a season in Formula 1 at a lower level.
Three drivers have been connected to Hamilton’s seat: two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, and Rosberg. However, Rosberg has categorically stated that he would neither be replacing the Briton nor making a complete comeback to Formula One.
I simply couldn’t pull it off. “That’s over, I’m not planning a comeback,” Rosberg stated to the Süddeutsche Zeitung in German.
In addition to having a “great respect for the danger” of competing in the highest level of motorsport after leaving Formula One, the 38-year-old is currently unable to return to the sport, even if he wanted to.
“Even I couldn’t just do that,” Rosberg conceded. The synapses (neuron connectors) in my brain would need to be trained, which would need intense preparation lasting a whole year.
“A racing driver must be precise and respond extremely quickly at maximum speed. That’s gone after the extended vacation. In addition, the muscles must endure extreme effort to grasp the steering wheel against the centrifugal forces.