Rosberg: F1 will have to go electric in the future

2016 world champion Nico Rosberg believes Formula 1 will have no choice but to switch to electric "at some point” in the future. 

Formula E is currently leading the motorsport charge as the only all-electric single-seater championship to follow the automotive industry’s push towards electric transport on the roads on a global scale. 

Speaking to the BBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the former Williams and Mercedes driver reckons F1 will soon be forced into change.

"If the whole world is selling electric cars, or hydrogen-powered cars, Formula 1 can’t still be running on petrol engines, that wouldn’t make sense," Rosberg said. 

"At some point they will have to switch, I believe.

"Two years ago, everybody was like: ‘Nah, nah, electric cars’, and now even some of the craziest petrolheads are already starting to be open-minded about it and it’s starting to become cool very quickly.”

Following his retirement from the sport, Rosberg has made the foray into a number of technology-based business ventures and has also become an investor in Formula E.

"When I was a Formula 1 driver I was completely focused just on what I was doing, and then when it stopped it was all gone I had to look at the world and say: ‘what’s out there?’,” he explained. 

"And this is where things have driven me towards.

"I’m bringing this fast lane approach to the slow lane, and I think   that’s really a strength because F1 is so hyper-fast paced, everything, even decision making.

"There’s so much talk, talk, talk but [we need] little action sometimes. This is something I learned in F1 and I can really transfer that over and it's really beneficial."