What does Nico Rosberg plan to do next?

It's been almost a year since Nico Rosberg dramatically decided to quit F1 after winning the world championship at the age of just 31. But what does the German have planned for the future?

Rosberg sat down with tech website Wired and gave a frank interview of what he plans to do next. He ruled out a return to motorsport behind the wheel, but added that he believes his experience of being part of a championship-winning team could make him a valuable asset to the sport in the future.

Rosberg said: "The F1 experience was better than any university. It was hands-on, at the pinnacle of an extremely competitive and innovative sport, where so much money is involved. It has been extremely valuable from a personal development perspective, too. If I look at where I am now compared to 10 years ago, there's been a phenomenal change.

"I've learned how to behave, how to be among people and how to work together. That's all going to be extremely valuable going forward. If you want success, the art of delegation and choosing the right people are both super-important. That's a huge challenge and I feel I've made a lot of progress there.

"I've never been a CEO, but I've been at the top of an F1 team for seven years, and I was part of the leadership that won the World Championship. I picked up so much during those years, so I have a good understanding of what it takes."

Rosberg also added that the strain of the brutal F1 calendar impacted his life to the point where he felt he was losing control and, since leaving, he's managed to gain that back.

He continued: "I'd had 21 years of racing, of dedicating my life to it. For me, this was the perfect thing to do - to walk out on an absolute high, having achieved everything I set out to. It just feels right. Before, the F1 calendar was my boss, but now I'm my own boss. That makes a big difference. It's a good feeling.

"It's exciting and I feel very much alive. I'm looking at going to university and recently visited Stanford. I'd like to study short courses in the leadership and entrepreneurship area.

"F1 is energy-consuming. The amount of focus and attention you need to bring is out of this world, so simplifying my life worked really well for me. I got rid of all the unnecessary stuff. That helped to extract that little bit of extra energy when needed and to cope better with the massive stress."

Rosberg also reiterated his belief that electric cars will become more prominent as time passes, in real lift but on the track, too.

He added: "Electric cars will revolutionise our planet. Once we sort out the infrastructure of how to feed energy into them and we're making more use of solar and wind, it will be a big benefit. It's normal that car manufacturers want to be involved, and Formula E will be the showcase. I'm watching with interest."

The full interview with Rosberg can be found here.