Rosberg says no doubts about equality

The German admitted, however, that he had doubts when he first heard Schumacher would be his team-mate at the German squad.

"Of course there was a little bit of doubt in me, because Michael has a very good relationship with Ross [Brawn] and all that," Rosberg said during the unveiling of Mercedes's official colour scheme in Stuttgart.

"But to be very honest recently I had a lot of discussions with Norbert and Ross and I'm very, very confident and comfortable that we will both have the same opportunities, same car, same everything. So that's fantastic.

"I think it's in the race philosophy of Mercedes, and the way Ross wants to do it, so that's the way it's going to be."

Rosberg is also confident he will be a good match for his seven-time world champion team-mate, but made it clear they first need to focus on working for the team.

"First of all I think it's important to say that we are racing together for Mercedes GP Petronas and it's also important that we achieve success for the team," he added. "And then obviously it's important for me as a driver to beat my team-mate, so definitely it's going to be a big challenge this year.

"It's not going to be too easy. But I'm confident that I will be strong this year, so it shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, for me it's a fantastic opportunity to have Michael as a team-mate. I look forward to working with him.

"I'm sure we will work well together. Definitely he has a lot of experience so there's a few things that I will be able to pick up from him."

The German driver, who had raced for the Williams team so far in F1, conceded the move to Mercedes is offering him a big change to finally succeed.

"Yeah, definitely. This is the opportunity that I have been waiting for. I've had great years with Williams. It was a great time and I'm very thankful to the team and everything. But this is a very important step in my career and hopefully we'll have a winning car.

"Things are looking good at the moment and I just need to try and make the best of it. I'm confident it will be a very strong year for me."