So who will follow Nico?

Mercedes will take time to ‘evaluate their options’ following F1 champion Nico Rosberg’s shock retirement and they will probably need it, given that the top drivers are already signed up by rivals.

One who is still available is reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein, who has impressed at tail-enders Manor. The 22-year-old, who holds joint Mauritian and German nationality, was passed over, however, when Mercedes-powered Force India went looking for a replacement from the Mercedes stable for Nico Hulkenberg.

Frenchman Esteban Ocon, 20, who is also a Mercedes-contracted driver, was chosen instead with Wolff describing him at the time as boasting the most impressive track record in junior formulae.

That, however, is unlikely to stop others from thumbing through their contracts to see whether they can engineer a move. All the big names, apart from Lewis Hamilton, are signed up for rival outfits who will be reluctant to let them go so late in the day as preparations for next season get underway.

Red Bull have Australian Daniel Ricciardo and 19-yearold Dutch sensation Max Verstappen, the only drivers other than the Mercedes pair to win this season, tied up in contractual red tape for years to come.

Both are hot properties that former champions Red Bull will not countenance losing. Four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel and 2007 winner Kimi Raikkonen are contracted to Ferrari while double world champion Fernando Alonso, right, is tied to McLaren for 2017.

Just how watertight Alonso’s contract is, and what escape clauses there may be, remains to be seen however and he has been chafing to get back in a winning car since he left Ferrari for underperforming McLaren.

Formula One’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said the Spaniard would be his choice if the driver was able to extricate himself. “It’s possible I suppose, let’s see. They’ve got new management now at McLaren.

Maybe he’s fed up being there and they’re fed up having him,” he suggested. Alonso was previously Hamilton’s team mate at McLaren in the Briton’s 2007 debut season when they both finished a point behind Raikkonen.

Another alternative, which some insiders have already touted, could see Finland’s Valtteri Bottas move up to Mercedes from Williams. Bottas’ career has been managed by Mercedes team boss and shareholder Toto Wolff who was previously on the board at Williams.

An added advantage of a Bottas move could also be the chance to promote Wehrlein who felt overlooked when Force India came calling for Ocon, or ensure that Brazil retains a driver in the sport. Felipe Nasr, whose place at Sauber is under threat after he lost a key sponsor in Banco do Brazil, was previously a Williams test driver.

One man unlikely to be tempted is 2009 world champion Jenson Button who had trumpeted last weekend as his final race for McLaren. “At this moment in time I do not want to be racing in Formula One past this race.

I think of this as my last race and hopefully everybody else does as well,” said the Briton, a team mate of Hamilton at McLaren from 2010-13. It should be remembered though that ‘never say never’ is one of Formula One’s most popular sayings and the sport - as Rosberg showed only too clearly on Friday - is full of surprises.