Mercedes: Rosberg will have to wait for a contract renewal
Nico Rosberg's contract with Mercedes expires at the end of the 2016 season. However, Toto Wolff, the executive director of the world champion team, has indicated that it is still too early to decide on a possible extension of the partnership with the German driver.
With 14 victories and 22 pole positions since the start of his collaboration with Mercedes, Nico Rosberg would like to continue the adventure with his team beyond his current contract, which will end after the next season.
Even though he never managed to beat Lewis Hamilton for the ultimate title of World Drivers’ Champion, the German remains a key figure in Mercedes’ success in Formula 1, as Toto Wolff pointed out to our colleagues at Autosport: « Our driver duo is excellent. Both have a great deal of responsibility for bringing the team to where it is today. »
Despite everything, it’s still a bit early to start discussions regarding the potential extension of Nico Rosberg’s contract: « It’s still too early to discuss that. We want to see how the season unfolds. » states Wolff.
Of course, the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Rosberg will remain at the forefront of Mercedes’ management’s attention. The sometimes not-so-cordial confrontation between the two drivers could very well seal the fate of this association according to the executive director of the brand with the star: « There are still areas we want to develop as a team and we’ll see how it goes. It’s very important to maintain the team’s spirit, and the confrontation between Lewis and Nico has been very fierce and very competitive at times. Which is understandable since they are both competing with a car that allows them to aim for the title. The guy in the other car cannot be your friend. But we must remain vigilant to ensure that all of this doesn’t blow up on both sides of the garage. »
