Wolff wouldn't be surprised if Rosberg returns with Ferrari

Rosberg shocked the F1 world in December last year when, just days after clinching his world title, he announced his retirement from the sport.

He said that the stresses of battling for a championship with Lewis Hamilton, allied to the fact that he had a young family, left him unwilling to commit for another season.

That forced Mercedes to hunt for a replacement over the winter and in the end elect to swoop for Valtteri Bottas who had been originally signed up by Williams.

While Rosberg has insisted he is happy being away from F1 and he has no interest in returning to competition, Wolff is not so convinced that the German will be content staying away from racing for so long.

And, in a relaxed conversation with media in the paddock in Montreal, he even let slip that he had a suspicion Rosberg could return around 2018 – at the very time a team like Ferrari could be looking for another driver.

“I think when he took the decision to retire it was because it was just too much,” said Wolff. “It was a very stressful year against probably the best driver in F1, and he felt at that stage, exhausted. That is how he appeared to me.

“But he is 31 years old. If he is unlucky, he has another 70 years to go in his life! I will give you one [quote] – I wouldn’t be surprised if he changes his mind in a year and reappears in a Ferrari! Or, somewhere else.”

While Fernando Alonso elected to compete in the Indy 500, Wolff doubts that such an event would hold much attraction to Rosberg.

“No, I think that doing the Indy 500 is very challenging for a racing driver," he said.

"I loved it, because of Fernando until he retired, but I don’t think Nico calculating the risk and reward would go on to an oval with an Indycar.”