Rosberg signs new deal with Mercedes

Thu, 10 Nov 06:48:00 2011

Germany's Nico Rosberg has signed a new deal keeping him at Mercedes beyond the 2013 Formula One season.

2011 Europe GP Mercedes Rosberg - 0

In a statement issued ahead of Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mercedes added that seven-times champion Michael Schumacher, the most successful driver in the sport, would again be Rosberg's team mate next year.

The team said Rosberg, who joined from Williams in 2010, had agreed "a multi-year contract extension to include the 2013 season and beyond".

Rosberg, the 26-year-old son of Finland's former champion Keke, has yet to win a race since his debut in 2006 but is highly regarded.

He has had three podium finishes and scored 217 points since he joined Mercedes. This season he has scored five more points than Schumacher and is seventh overall with two races remaining.

"To win in a Silver Arrow (Mercedes) will be one of the highlights of my life so far," he said.

"I have every confidence that the team will provide me with a winning car and that we will be able to contribute to the fantastic racing heritage of the Silver Arrows."

Team boss Ross Brawn hailed the German as a driver who can win races and championships and said he had already achieved "results at the very limit of the technical capabilities of our current car."

"He has an excellent work ethic and, together with Michael, this gives us a driver pairing who consistently push the team to improve and progress," he added.

"We look forward to providing Nico with a car which will enable him to compete right at the front of the field and achieve his deserved first win in Formula One."

Before his long-term commitment to Mercedes, Rosberg had been one of the candidates tipped by the media as a possible replacement for Brazilian Felipe Massa at Ferrari after next season.

Reuters

Comment 3 - 22 of 22

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  1. Wow! They should call this article; W4nkers can get in­ for free! Dj here...1 more for the­ road....youtube.....Art Attacks-Neutron Bomb (1978)

    From Rouge, on Fri 11 Nov 17:40
  2. @21 May be Hitler has something to do with it!!

    From P, on Fri 11 Nov 5:55
  3. why does rosburg keep pretending to be german

    From SNAKE, on Fri 11 Nov 4:43
  4. Best thing for Nico Rosberg is to stay with Mercedes GP­ he made right choice

    From Joanna Raikkonen, on Fri 11 Nov 2:22
  5. Schumacher isat Mercedes to bring the car forward &­ produce a winning car, that it what he is being­ employed to do. Just like he did at Ferrari, that took­ 4 years, but when he got it right, no other car could­ touch them for 5 years, do you F1 fans remember that,­ if you dont appreciate Schumacer, then you dont know­ nuttin..Good luck to Nico

    From mick d, on Thu 10 Nov 23:19
  6. Congrats on the new deal Nico - hopefully we will see­ this potential championship winning talent if a­ competitive car is given.

    From IrishTifosi, on Thu 10 Nov 21:09
  7. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    lol wizzo, kept you busy haven't I? Hahaha

    From Williams FW14B, on Thu 10 Nov 21:03
  8. Are you people nuts? sure it's good to see rosberg­ signing a new contract but what is all that hatred­ against schumacher about? sure he rosberg outperforms­ him in qualifying, but only because michael was never a­ good "qualifier"!!! but he @#$% sure is the­ best racer!!! you don't believe me? then how can it­ be that schumacher is only 5 points behind rosberg,­ although he was almost always behind schumacher on the­ grid and had 5 retirements in contrast to rosbergs 2.­ Not to mention that the 7 time champ is 42 years old!!!­ when mansell was that old he was too fat to even fit in­ the car. So Rosberg is a fine driver and might be a­ future champ but schumacher is in no way too slow or­ something.

    From dan, on Thu 10 Nov 20:59
  9. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Nico has been unlucky with a series of duff cars, he­ needs to be in a Redbull for 2013.

    From Williams FW14B, on Thu 10 Nov 20:29
  10. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Now if they can just find him a good, fast teammate...

    From p!ssirk, on Thu 10 Nov 20:21
  11. Nico's a great driver...any team would want him

    From KAE, on Thu 10 Nov 20:00
  12. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Good to see Rosberg accept his contract, but what is­ happening with Schumacher?? Is he going to stay or is­ he going to run!! Sorry, since he can't find any­ speed Schumi can't run either!!

    From P, on Thu 10 Nov 19:40
  13. Mercedes needs stability, this was the right choice.

    From Captain Clutch, on Thu 10 Nov 19:30
  14. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Has the boy no eyes in the head?
    What was his last­ pitstop all about in India.
    Nico; 4.6 seconds, Shorty;­ 3.2 seconds.
    Shorty ends the race 0.9 seconds ahead of­ Nico and they call it fantastic?!?
    Nico, i don't­ think you did a good thing by signing up to the Shorty­ Support Team for now, or do you know samething else for­ sure?

    From Ice, on Thu 10 Nov 19:19
  15. @john
    Don't you think Mercedes is getting its value­ for Michael?
    He brings a lot more than just driving­ ability. Mercedes is in F1 to sell cars. Winning races­ is one way, having a 7-times champion is another.
    It is­ not a right for young drivers to be gifted a seat, they­ must earn it.

    From Bill K, on Thu 10 Nov 19:02
  16. Not sure on this. Rosberg occasionally very quick and­ its always been a case of give Rosberg a good car and­ he will win. Well hes got 4th best car and never looked­ like getting as podium this season let alone a win. Hes­ a good driver, thats definate and put him in a Redbull­ or Mclaren and he would win a race but to be really­ good you have to get minimum of podiums and even an­ occasional win in an average car. I suspect there are­ other drivers lower down that would be getting the same­ results as Rosberg in the Mercedes.

    From tom, on Thu 10 Nov 18:28
  17. I was hoping Nico would move to Ferrari. I hope­ Mercedes up their game next year as IMO he’s overdue a­ win.

    From kevin, on Thu 10 Nov 18:12
  18. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Is it not time for Mercedes to look to the future and­ give a young driver a chance instead of sticking with­ the beyond his sell by date Scumacher.

    From john, on Thu 10 Nov 17:10
  19. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    hes a much better driver than hamilton

    From Josh Davis, on Thu 10 Nov 17:05
  20. Not so sure about the assumption that Nico will win a­­ grand prix in a silver arrow. Last year Nico had­­ podiums and team scored 214 in the constructors. This­­ year they are on 145 with 2 races to go with no­­ podiums. They have taken another step backwards since­­ Brawn won the constructors in 2009.

    They seem to be­­ in a no mans land, clearly the fourth best team, but­­ not that close to the top 3.

    It would be great if­­ they could attack Red Bull, but they need to find a­­ performance in next years car that would be quite­­ incredible............but not impossible.

    From Cashel, on Thu 10 Nov 16:16
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