Rosberg positive about TC ban

The German was initially skeptical about how much of a change a ban on traction control would make when it comes into force next year, but now has no doubts about the difference after trying out a car without the driver aid in recent testing.

"It's going to be exciting," said the Williams driver. "I tried it recently and it was quite shocking actually. In the difficulty sense it is not ideal - and it is going to be a big challenge for everybody."

When asked by autosport.com whether he believes the racing will be better as a result, he said: "Yeah. There'll be more mistakes, more inconsistencies. To this question I said no a few months ago, but since I tried it I will say yes now.

"You look at a track like Hungary, with no traction control, you are going to see mistakes. You are going to have drivers who are going to overdrive in the beginning and have no tyres left towards the end."

Rosberg said that the characteristics of modern F1 machinery and tyres meant that driving without traction control is going to be difficult.

"The thing is with these cars that you don't feel the limit properly at the rear. And once it goes, it's so snappy that it's very hard to hold it. There's no way you're going to be drifting in anything, that's not possible. The cars are so edgy and twitchy.

"In the high-speed stuff there's no traction control because you can't get wheelspin. It's only in the slow-speed stuff, especially second and first gear corners.

"I was going through the chicane (in the test) and I hit the throttle because I forgot that traction control was off. I was in first gear, and it spun me round quicker than I was able to think. I was facing the other way and I was like, 'Whoa!' In the wet it would be incredibly difficult."

And Rosberg thinks the differences between good drivers and bad drivers will become more pronounced over race distances, because of the need to preserve tyres.

"I think it will suit some drivers better than others, especially us young guys who have only driven traction control from one or two years back. I think we are going to have fewer problems than maybe the older people among us who have been driving 10 years with it."