The motorsports world was sent into a state of hysteria Friday morning when Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg, 31, abruptly announced his retirement less than a week after winning the title, garnering congratulatory tweets from a few NASCAR drivers.
Wow! Congrats on being F1 Champion and on a outstanding career. Enjoy what comes next. https://t.co/iETU8ZVJa9
—
Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb)
December 2, 2016
Congrats Nico https://t.co/YU22d5z2Pk
— landon cassill (@landoncassill)
December 2, 2016
I think @nico_rosberg broke twitter this morning. Bold move, love it.
—
Regan Smith (@ReganSmith)
December 2, 2016
After the initial shock of the news subsided, speculation immediately began regarding who would fill Rosberg’s coveted seat. There was one particular name that seemed to be making its way into a lot of speculatory tweets.
Take a look at the guy pictured above sharing a laugh with Rosberg’s (now former) Mercedes teammate and F1 standout, Lewis Hamilton. FOX Sports analyst Mike Joy jokingly tossed it out there …
Jeff, Maybe MB F1 need a high-caliber sub for ’17 ! “@JeffGordonWeb: Wow! Congrats Nico, on being F1 Champion and on an outstanding career.”
— Mike Joy (@mikejoy500)
December 2, 2016
… and his FOX partner Gordon certainly didn’t do much to quell those rumors.
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—
Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb)
December 2, 2016