Rosberg sympathises with Ricciardo amid likely VCARB exit
F1 News
Nico Rosberg shared some sympathy for Daniel Ricciardo amid the rumours that his time in Formula 1 will come to an end. The Australia is expected to be replaced by Liam Lawson at Visa Cash App RB for the remainder of the season, meaning the most recent race at the Singapore Grand Prix will be his last in a fine F1 career
Rosberg comments on a disappointing exit for Ricciardo
It has been a great career for Ricciardo, earning eight Grand Prix wins over a 257-race career, along with 32 podiums and 17 fastest laps. That includes one final fastest lap around the Marina Bay Street Circuit. However the 35-year-old has seen the younger generation overtake him in the premier class of motorsport, with former teammates Max Verstappen and Lando Norris now fighting for the world title, as well as the supremely talented Yuki Tsunoda now giving Ricciardo a tough time at VCARB.
But Rosberg, while speaking on the Sky Sports' F1 podcast, believed that Ricciardo deserved a better send-off after a fantastic career: "He deserves a really nice send-off if it was his last weekend. We don't even know if it's going to happen, so that's not a nice situation too. He deserves better than that."
The 2016 world champion also spoke about the younger generation now overtaking drivers like Ricciardo in F1, which was a reason for his sudden retirement after his world title win: "I would have really wanted to avoid dropping further down the order until one day I get fired, which you never know. As you get older and as things progress, one day the time will come when the young generation is knocking on the door and you'll be replaced," the German added.
Rosberg has seen several of the sport's great heroes eventually decline, which he himself felt was "not worth it". "Daniel now, that's not really a worthy ending. Sebastian Vettel, also the way his career ended, I think it is also not really worthy. It's something, that final moment, that carries me for the rest of my life. It is powerful and important for me to get it right. And in hindsight, I know it sucked at the time for many people because everybody was enjoying the battle with Lewis, but for myself and my family, it was the right decision," Rosberg concluded.
This article was created in collaboration with Jeroen Immink
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23 September 2024
