VIENNA, Austria -- Nico Rosberg has announced his retirement from Formula One less than a week after being crowned world champion in Abu Dhabi.
Rosberg made the announcement at a press conference ahead of the FIA prize giving in Vienna where he is due to be presented with the championship trophy. He made clear that after achieving his childhood dream of being crowned champion, he wanted to spend more time with his wife Vivian and young daughter away from the pressures of Formula One, saying he "could not go through that again".
After twice losing the title in direct battles with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in 2014 and 2015, Rosberg finally beat Hamilton to the title this year.