Red Bull ace Daniel Ricciardo says he would be unlikely to emulate Nico Rosberg’s decision to retire from Formula One after winning the world title for the first time due to the “addictive” nature of success.
The Mercedes driver stunned the F1 community by announcing his departure from the sport with immediate effect ahead of the annual FIA Prize giving ceremony in Vienna, Austria.
Taking centre stage alongside Lewis Hamilton after Rosberg broke the news of his shock retirement, Ricciardo was asked whether he could see himself not defending a potential future title.
“Obviously, I haven’t done it yet, but I would believe that if I did get the one, you would want more,” the Australian replied.
“It’s like the first win, it's addictive that feeling but as great as it is, it does not last forever so you want that feeling again and I imagine the world title is the same. Unless I get my first one when I am 40, I’ll probably stay and try to get more.”
On Rosberg’s decision to retire, the ever-grinning Ricciardo joked: “There’s pros and cons. Obviously, the pro is you go out as a champion and the con is you probably miss out on a pretty big payday next year.”
As for his favourite memory of racing the 2016 world champion, the Red Bull driver did not have to look for long to pick his standout moment.
“I think it was three laps to go in Canada [in 2014] passing him for the win.”
Ricciardo’s maiden F1 victory came after he overhauled Rosberg, who was nursing a MGU-K failure on his Mercedes W05, in the closing stages of the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix.
Technical analysis - Abu Dhabi
Scene at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Quotes of the week
DRIVER RATINGS: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
