Analysis: Rosberg has a mountain to climb

Comparisons are inevitable for the 20-year-old German, who will make his Formula One debut in March as the first son of a champion to start a Grand Prix since 1996 title winner Hill retired six years ago.

While Hill joined Williams in 1993 when the team were world beaters, Rosberg - son of the 1982 Finnish champion Keke - cannot expect as much.

Williams did not win a race this year and have lost engine partner BMW and leading sponsor Hewlett-Packard, while also switching to Bridgestone from last season's dominant tyre provider Michelin.

Rosberg will still be in the limelight because of his name, as were Hill and Canadian Jacques Villeneuve when they first arrived. But he knows what to expect.

"I've been prepared for it a little bit throughout my career," said Rosberg. "They (people) have always been looking at me and comparing me to my dad and am I as good as him or am I not and things like that.

"I've learned to live with it a little bit. It's just going to be there forever, that's the way it is and no problem."

Famous Fathers

Only a handful of sons of champions have followed their fathers into Formula One and Hill, son of the late 1962 and 1968 champion Graham, is the only one to have won the title.

Canadian Villeneuve was champion in 1997 but father Gilles, one of the most loved and thrilling of Ferrari drivers until his death at Zolder in Belgium in 1982, never captured the crown.

Apart from the Hills, the Villeneuves are the only other father and son racers to have won Grands Prix since the Championship began in 1950.

Italian Alberto Ascari, champion in 1952 and 1953 with Ferrari, was the son of the pre-war Grand Prix ace Antonio who died in 1925.

Australian David Brabham, son of three times World Champion Jack, started 24 times between 1990 and 1994 for Brabham and Simtek without scoring a point.

American Michael Andretti, son of 1978 champion Mario, had one nightmarish season with McLaren in 1993 and then left with a third place in the Italian Grand Prix and a total of seven points from 13 starts.

Rosberg is the first of a new generation to reach the top. Winner of this year's inaugural GP2 title, the support series to Formula One, he raced against two other champions' sons in Matthias Lauda and Nelson Piquet Junior.

Both Austrian Lauda, son of Niki, and Brazilian Piquet, whose father and namesake also won three Formula One titles, are currently competing in the new A1 GP championship.

That series also has Australian Christian Jones, son of 1980 F1 champion Alan, and South African Tomas Scheckter.

Scheckter, son of 1979 Ferrari champion Jody, was a Jaguar Formula One test driver and has since become an Indy car race winner in the United States.

Heavy Burden

The famous name helps but can also be a heavy burden.

Villeneuve, who made his debut with Williams in 1996, for years avoided questions about Gilles. The Canadian, whose father's life story is now being made into a movie, has recently mellowed, however.

"When I started my career, it was difficult to talk about my father," he said. "I was getting a lot of attention from the media and public, but not because I had achieved anything.

"That was a bit embarrassing. People looked at me like they were seeing my father's ghost. I was very proud to be Gilles Villeneuve's son but I wanted to achieve something myself."

Rosberg has had Keke with him at most races this season, something of a mixed blessing.

"He will help me a bit, especially away from the track," he said. "On the track he can't help because you can't make someone go fast in the car and he doesn't need to either.

"He's hinted that he's coming to all of the races but that's not going to be the case," he added with a laugh. "I'm going to make sure that's not going to be the case.

"He's not an easy person to have around. He knows the sport so well and everything and he's quite a pessimistic person also, which sometimes becomes a bit heavy. But again, when he is there he is a great support.

"When things go really well it's great to have your father there because he's probably the most proud and that's nice to see and to share."