Rosberg named on Mercedes F1 team
The 24-year-old has spent the last four seasons at Williams
London: The Mercedes Formula One team named Nico Rosberg as one of their 2010 drivers yesterday while failing to kill off speculation that retired champion Michael Schumacher could partner him in an all-German line-up.
Rosberg, son of Finland's 1982 world champion Keke, will be the first German to race for a factory Mercedes team since Karl Kling and Hans Herrmann competed for the old ‘Silver Arrows' in 1955.
The 24-year-old has spent the last four seasons at Williams, with second place in Singapore last year his best result in 70 starts.
Mercedes have been partners to McLaren, who will have an all-British line-up next year with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, since 1995 but have now taken over British-based champions Brawn GP.
Brawn, who emerged from the remains of the Honda team, won both titles in their debut 2009 season with Button and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, who has taken Rosberg's place at Williams.
‘Special thing'
"It's quite a special thing," Rosberg told reporters. "It's about time that a German was in a Silver Arrow again." Rosberg, whose signing was an open secret in Formula One circles, expected to win races next year.
"For sure I am going to have a great car and I really believe that I am going to be able to take them [Hamilton and Button] on," he said, naming also Ferrari and Red Bull as leading rivals.
Team principal Ross Brawn, who worked with Keke, described Nico as a great talent and "a driver who will be able to make a valuable contribution to our team right from the outset".
Mercedes have yet to name the second driver, amid persistent rumours that seven-times champion Schumacher could come out of retirement at the age of 41 to fill the vacancy left by Button. Asked to rule out the possibility, Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug and Brawn chief executive Nick Fry both failed to do so.
