Nico Rosberg's decision to retire after his first championship win would have undoubtedly been a huge shock to his bosses at Mercedes. And although there's an endless series of rumours on the internet about who will be Lewis Hamilton's next teammate, it's clear that if we want 2017 to be an F1 season to remember, then Mercedes should pick Max Verstappen.

The 19-year old driver was the surprise story of the 2016 season with his flamboyant racing style shocking his fellow drivers and upsetting the bookmakers. Although his sometimes erratic racetrack action earned him plenty of critics, Verstappen shrugged off the criticism in a way that belied his tender years.

Although he began the season with Toro Rosso, he replaced Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull, and he quickly used the more competitive car to race to victory in the Spanish Grand Prix and thereby earned a place in the record books as the youngest F1 winner.

Whilst Verstappen didn't manage to repeat this victory, he showed enough spirit and skill for the remainder of the year to constantly trouble the Mercedes drivers and stay in the headlines with second placed performances at tough racetracks in Austria, Britain, Malaysia and Japan.

With the position at Mercedes still being vacant, there have been many who have hinted that the Williams driver, Valterri Bottas, could be a good foil to Hamilton's dominating racing style. And whilst such tactics could help Mercedes' odds at Betway in terms of winning the Constructors' Championships, it would be a much duller racing season.

Even Formula One's chief, Bernie Ecclestone has made the case for Verstappen joining Hamilton at Mercedes. And whilst there have been many who claim that the Dutch driver lacks the experience necessary for such a prestigious team, it's worth remembering that Hamilton is 31-years old and could soon be thinking about his retirement from Formula One.

This is why the rumours about Mercedes picking safe bets like Bottas and even McLaren's Fernando Alonso are completely mystifying. Thankfully it seems as though Mercedes are having a hard time luring Bottas away from Williams, and Alonso has already reaffirmed his intention to stay with McLaren.

But although betting fans and even the boss of Formula One seem to desire Verstappen to join Hamilton at Mercedes, it seems as though the team are still undecided as to take such a risky gamble.