The F1 season begins in March. However, world champion Nico Rosberg has announced that he will retire this season.

As quoted by CNN, the German racer wanted to stay at home, sit on the couch, and watch TV. But still, he will follow this upcoming season.

Mercedes have to make a quick decision on who will replace Rosberg to race alongside Lewis Hamilton. Motorsport.com reported that Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas will likely fill the position left by Rosberg. Bottas has been driving for Mercedes since 2013. Mercedes team head Toto Wolff (who used to be a Williams shareholder) has been working with the Finnish racer.

However, there are some options as well. A 35-year-old Felipe Massa might consider returning to F1 arena despite his retirement. Fellow German driver Pascal Wehrlein, a reserve Mercedes driver, might be considered too. The 22-year-old driver raced for Manor by scoring the only point for a financially-troubled team. But he is expected to drive for Ferrari-powered Sauber with Swedish Marcus Ericsson.

Wolff didn't give any clues yet but he stated that Mercedes' interest is the top priority. The Austrian said that this break time is the best moment for reflecting the past achievement and preparing for the upcoming season. Wolff appreciated Rosberg's decision to retire at his peak of his sporting career.

Despite being on the same team, the competition between Rosberg and Hamilton was fierce. The son of the 1982 F1 champion Keke Rosberg lost to teammate Hamilton in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The German driver won last year's season by winning the final race in Abu Dhabi. Then he announced his retirement five days later.

Hamilton himself expressed how much he will miss the rivalry with Rosberg. The British racer was the first person Rosberg informed about the retirement plan.

Rosberg claimed 23 races (tied for 12th all-time) and 30 pole positions (8th) from 206 races since 2006 when he started his debut.

All teams will be entering the busiest period late next month as they will start testing vehicles in Spain. The season starts on March 26 in Australia.