'Lewis Hamilton lost the battle but won the war'

The British Press has had a field day with Nico Rosberg's retirement, claiming Lewis Hamilton forced his teammate's hand with an intense psychological disintegration.

Rosberg dropped the bombshell that he was quitting Formula 1 less than a week after winning his first world championship, claiming that he had 'climbed his mountain' and 'reached the peak'.

But the German also admitted he was always thinking about retiring as the pressure of his title battle with Hamilton ramped up.

"Lewis Hamilton lost the battle but won the war," wrote Kevin Eason in The Times. "He dominated Nico Rosberg from karting to the ultimate in Formula 1 and when the German finally won his world championship, the strain was so great that he had to walk away from the sport.

"Hamilton waged a psychological war up until the end. Now Mercedes have to find a driver with the mental strength to stand up to the force that is Hamilton."

Richard Williams agrees in The Guardian, saying next year Rosberg could have been on "something close to a hiding to nothing".

"He might not want to spend a year defending his title under further critical scrutiny from those who believe that his success was made possible only by a couple of engine failures on Hamilton's car," Williams continued.

Oliver Brown of The Telegraph claimed "Hamilton will want assurances that his alpha-male standing at Mercedes is not under threat" when they pick his next teammate.

"Hamilton will be left off the hook for defying team bosses in Abu Dhabi as they frantically try to find a replacement for Rosberg," wrote Ben Hunt in The Sun.

"The German's decision to quit F1 has left Merc chiefs with a real headache for 2017 — and they won't risk aggravating their other star driver."

While Rosberg's revelation stunned F1 fans, his friend and fierce rival was unfazed by the news.

"I'm probably one of the only people that it was not a surprise to, but that's because I've known him for a long time," Hamilton told autosport.com in Vienna at F1's annual awards ceremony.

"This is the first time he's won in 18 years, hence why it was not a surprise that he decided to stop.

"But he's also got a family to focus on, having children, and Formula 1 takes so much of your time."