British Sportsman, Lewis Hamilton, who lost his previously held formula one title to his childhood friend and Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg on Sunday, has reacted to the German's shock retirement from the game , just days after winning his very first title.

Speaking in Vienna, where Rosberg was handed the champion's trophy during a gala dinner on Friday night, Hamilton said:

'I was not surprised. But that's because I've known him for a long time. 'This is the first time he has won in our rivalry in 18 years, hence why I am not shocked. But it will be strange not having him there in the team next year.'

Hamilton said he doesn't care who Mercedes will announce as his partner for next season :
"It doesn't matter who they put alongside me. I'll race them. I'm here to race. The focus is on next year and hoping for a better season."
He has a family he wants to focus on and F1 takes so much from you. never needed a team-mate to be able to push me," he said.
"The better the driver, the better it is for me when I finish ahead of them.
"You need someone with good values coming in and representing the team in a positive way, good work ethic and consistency, obviously, so we can those win constructors' championships. "So, in terms of challenging for constructors' titles, which is obviously the team's first goal, we need to make sure we have someone equally as consistent as what we had before."