Nico Rosberg to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes? 2016 World Champion responds

With Lewis Hamilton set to swap Mercedes for Ferrari come 2025, could his spot sensationally be taken by former team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg? It would appear not.

Hamilton and Rosberg were responsible for one of the most heated team-mate rivalries Formula 1 has ever seen, after Mercedes rose to become F1’s dominant force from 2014.

The duo went head-to-head for the following three seasons, Hamilton triumphing in 2014 and 2015, before Rosberg claimed the 2016 crown and shockingly announced his retirement just days after.

Nico Rosberg ‘not planning comeback’ to replace Lewis Hamilton

Now it is a Hamilton-shaped void that Mercedes will need to fill, though they at least on this occasion have time very much on their side to determine the ideal driver to take over from the most successful F1 driver of all-time in Hamilton.

However, if Mercedes were contemplating asking Rosberg whether he fancied one final stint in the sport, then it would seem they should not bother.

“That’s over, I’m not planning a comeback,” Rosberg confirmed to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

“I would have to prepare intensively for a whole year, if only to train the synapses in my brain.”

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Confirmation of Hamilton’s upcoming move to Ferrari, before the F1 2024 campaign even got underway, took almost everyone by surprise as Hamilton now prepares for one final season with Mercedes ahead of moving to Maranello to live out a “childhood dream”.

Rosberg admits that he can be included in those surprised by this Hamilton bombshell, though when he takes stock, can see why his former team-mate would want to join Ferrari.

Rosberg claims that Mercedes and Ferrari represent the two “legendary” Formula 1 teams that a driver wants to compete with.

And so, with the Mercedes box already ticked, marking off Ferrari too is a logical step.

“It surprised me,” said Rosberg in regards to Hamilton signing with Ferrari. “But if you look at the big picture: There are two legendary teams that everyone wants to drive for – Ferrari and Mercedes.

“I can understand that he is fulfilling a personal dream.”

Hamilton will find himself as team-mate to Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz, the only non-Red Bull grands prix winner of 2023, the driver forced to make way as he now searches for a new home on the grid from 2025.

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