08/12/2016
NEWS STORY
Bernie Ecclestone admits sport will miss Nico Rosberg even if he wasn't one of the greats.
In our latest podcast, editor Balfe puts forward the idea that one of the factors that may well have influenced Nico Rosberg's controversial decision to quit the sport and not defend his title, was the prospect of another year of in-team hostility.
The on-track clashes aside, there were times this year, especially in the ante-room before they headed out to the podium, that the atmosphere between the two Mercedes drivers was so bad that it was uncomfortable for us as fans to watch.
While Rosberg, might happily have defended his title had his teammate been the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, was it the thought of another year of 'bad blood' with Hamilton the final straw for Rosberg, pondered Balfe.
His seat still warm, as Rosberg looks ahead to the rest of his life, keen to put the hostility of the Mercedes garage far behind him, the sport's supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, fired his own little farewell shot.
Asked to rank the German alongside the other world champions due to line up on the 2017 grid, Ecclestone refused.
"Let's just say he is a world champion," he said, according to Eurosport.
"The other names you mentioned," he continued, referring to Hamilton, Vettel and Alonso, "have obviously won more than a few times and have achieved more. So I would just call Nico a world champion and nothing else."
However, he admitted the sport will miss the German come Melbourne.
"He's not as popular as Lewis but Nico was a very popular driver," he said. "So his absence is certainly not good for Formula One."