Nico Rosberg has said that he wants to remain connected to Formula 1 following his shock decision to quit Mercedes and retire.

The new world champion stunned F1 and the German outfit to such an extent that Mercedes's team chairman Niki Lauda said a silver-clad comeback for the 31-year-old in the future is now "impossible".

Yet Rosberg is not ruling out remaining engaged with the pinnacle of motor sport.

"The sport is my passion and I think the best sport in the world," he is quoted as saying by DPA news agency. "And so I am sure I will be involved in some way."

However, Rosberg said that he has no intention of thinking about what involvement he might have at the moment.

"First of all I will have a huge holiday," he said. "We have not booked a return flight."

Rosberg ended 2016 five points ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton.