Lando Norris drops shock follow in footsteps of Nico Rosberg quit hint

Lando Norris has suggested he could take a leaf out of Nico Rosberg's book and immediately retire from Formula 1 should he win this year's drivers' championship.

Rosberg stunned F1 when he announced after his title triumph in 2016 that he was quitting the sport after achieving his ambition of becoming a champion.

That was the culmination of a brutal battle with Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, with Rosberg finally coming out on top at the third time of asking after the Briton had taken the 2014 and 2015 titles.

Hamilton went on to take his tally to seven in total by winning the drivers' crown the following four years but has since failed to add to his tally over the past five seasons, prompting a move to Ferrari at the start of this campaign.

The 40-year-old, though, has struggled since joining the Scuderia, going so far as to state that he wants to rediscover the "fun" he once had in driving in F1.  

Norris can appreciate Hamilton's sentiments, notably as he is winning races this year as he endures his own head-to-head fight with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.

"For Lewis, he's won so much," said Norris, speaking to the British written media at Zandvoort ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix.

"He has probably achieved the title of being one of the best ever in Formula One. Especially if you're now not winning, it's hard to...

"I'm enjoying this season a lot more now because I'm winning than the last few seasons when we were not winning. That's just because you want success and you want to be on top. It's better for everyone in any sport you ever do.

"You're always going to be happier when you're winning than when you're not. I think it's hard to do when you're not winning. That's why, probably, sometimes, it's good to go out when you've won, like Nico."

"Just one championship. You don’t have to do any more. You achieved a little goal and you go and live an amazing life."

Pushed on whether he could genuinely follow Rosberg if he beats Piastri this year, Norris replied: "No, I don't know. Maybe. Maybe. I might not be here next year. You never know."