Q & A with Nico Rosberg

NR: The aim is going to be very high for me. I want to win races at least, and then we'll see. We need to wait a few months to see how the car turns out but I'm confident that we're going to have a strong package.

What does it mean to be the first German to race a Silver Arrows grand prix car in over 50 years?

NR: It's incredible. It is definitely quite a special thing. The last time a German raced a Silver Arrow was 1955, so that's a very long time ago. It's about time there was a German in a Silver Arrows again.

Nika Lauda says that you have the talent to take on and beat Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. What is your reaction to that?

NR: It's very nice to hear that from him and I definitely believe in myself as a racing driver and I'm really looking forward to next year because for sure I'm going to have a great car and I really believe that I'm going to be able to take them on for sure.

Which of the two of them is tougher competition?

NR: That's difficult to say. We'll see next year when they are up against each other. I'm not sure. I raced against Lewis, so I can say for sure that Lewis is a great driver and Jenson is a bit more difficult for me to judge but he is certainly a fantastic driver.

Do you regard yourself as German or Finnish?

NR: I definitely regard myself as a German, quite simply because I grew up with the German culture, we spoke German at home and watched German TV. So overall I'm a German.

You said during the year that you had a lot of options for 2010. You've now signed for one of the few manufacturer teams in F1 - how important a factor was that in your decision?

NR: It was definitely a factor that was important in my decision. It's fantastic to be part of a great manufacturer like Mercedes and that together with the team that used to be Brawn GP is the best possible combination for me.

If the driver in the other car is Michael Schumacher, are you confident that you can take him on and beat him?

NR: I don't want to comment on that, sorry.

Are you surprised that the driver in the other car is not Jenson Button?

NR: It was never certain [to be]. There was a high chance that it was going to be and now it has turned out not to be. That's just how it went. I wasn't that involved with what was going on so it was a little bit of a surprise, but not too much.

Would you like to have a German team-mate?

NR: I don't really mind who my team-mate is. It's just important that he fits well into the group so that we can attack together for Mercedes GP.

Have you already been to the factory and what do you know about next year's car?

NR: I will go to the factory on Wednesday because I also waited for the announcement to be done. I've been in contact with Ross and the engineers about next year's car to keep in touch, but I'm really going to start attacking on that front on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to visiting the factory and also there are a lot of people that I know from past years in F1 and it will be nice to see them again.

Who do you see as your main rival?
NR: I think it's best to mention teams at this point and the main rivals will most likely be Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.

You are the first driver to be contracted by Mercedes. How far do you consider yourself a team leader?

NR: It's something that I would really like to grow into, to become a team leader. That's what I'll be pushing to do and you achieve that by working with the team, getting the respect of the team and becoming a team leader in pushing the technical direction and also in terms of results on the track. That's something that you need to build up and I'm going to try and do that very soon.