'Not Lewis again!' - Mercedes boss Zetsche confounded by Rosberg retirement

Mercedes-Benz boss Dieter Zetsche was the first man Toto Wolff called when Nico Rosberg told him that had called it a day on his career as an F1 driver.

The German executive's first reaction when Wolff's name blinked on his phone was, 'Not Lewis again!'. But when learning the true reason for the call, Zetsche admitted to have been caught by surprise.

"I was stepping out of the shower lacking any clothes - which I normally do when I get out of the shower! And my phone was ringing,” Zetsche told Autocar.

"And I saw it was Toto [Wolff, Mercedes F1 boss] and I thought, oh again, something with Lewis! But then I got the news. And I did not expect that, I must say."

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The Mercedes boss admitted that Rosberg's decision thwarted the manufacturer's plans for 2017, which included the luxury of having two world champions racing its Silver Arrows.

"I respected that decision. I mean, obviously, one [Hamilton] is saying 'I want more and more and I want to break more records and make history', and the other one [Rosberg] is saying 'well, I finally fulfilled my life dream and what can be on top of that?', and both approaches are legitimate.

"Of course, it would have been easier and more pleasant for us to have two world champions in our team for the season to come - not necessarily less fight but this was part of the entertainment, and now we need a new driver and that’s how life works.

"And so I was not insulted or totally disappointed. I respected his decision."

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