Rosberg decided to retire "two metres after the line in Abu Dhabi"

Lewis Hamilton was the undisputed world champion in Formula 1 in recent years. However, in 2016, his teammate Nico Rosberg managed to take the world title from him, after which the driver immediately bid Formula 1 farewell.

The German can still clearly remember the moment when he was sure he would leave Formula 1. "Two metres after the line in Abu Dhabi," he admits in an interview with Square Mile. "If you ask me, ‘When did you decide to retire?’ That was the moment."

It was a simple choice for Rosberg to retire. "I had given it everything. It was a question of do I want to continue to deliver and live in that intensity, and with my dream having come true – I’d fulfilled my goal of being world champion – it just felt like a great moment to step away and have a new life, with different benefits."

Sharpness in Verstappen required

Rosberg states in the same interview that Verstappen can no longer afford to have a disappointing race. According to the German, absolute concentration is required to stay ahead of Hamilton and thus win the world championship.