STUTTGART, Germany — In a deal that was widely anticipated, Nico Rosberg, 24, has agreed to race for Mercedes Grand Prix in 2010. He continues to follow in the footsteps of his father, Keke Rosberg, the Finnish 1982 Formula 1 world champion.
The young Rosberg turned in a solid season in 2009, scoring points in almost every race and qualifying in the top 10. It was his best season in Formula 1 so far. He finished 7th overall with 34.5 points. He has taken part in 70 Grands Prix, all for the Williams team.
"I had the pleasure of working with his father, Keke, during his Formula 1 career, and it is great to see Nico following in his footsteps," said Ross Brawn, team principal, in a statement. "We look forward to seeing his development continue with us at Mercedes next year."
On November 16, Brawn GP was bought by Mercedes and rebranded as Mercedes Grand Prix for 2010. It has yet to announce its second driver. Jenson Button left the team after winning the driver's world title. There has been rampant speculation that Michael Schumacher may be part of the Mercedes Grand Prix team.
In the meantime, Mercedes GP gushed over Nico Rosberg, saying that he inherited "his racing DNA from his father." There is little doubt that he is admired in his profession. When he became a Williams driver, he trounced his colleagues in the engineering aptitude test, which is administered to all new drivers. He scored the highest in the team's history.
He began racing karts at age 8, said Mercedes. From 1997-2000, he raced for the MBM team, the talent support program of Mercedes-Benz McLaren.
"I saw Nico racing karts alongside Lewis Hamilton and later in the support program of the DTM events," said Norbert Haug, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport vice president. "I have known him since he was a young boy. Early on, it was obvious that he would make his way as a race driver and we are glad that after four years with Williams he will now be one of our drivers at Mercedes. It makes our restart even nicer."
Inside Line says: Nico Rosberg, a legacy candidate, grabs a coveted spot for the new Mercedes F1 team, to no one's surprise. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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