Rosberg: more to come from Williams

The Grove-based squad enjoyed a sensational season opener in Australia, with Rosberg scoring his first podium finish and teammate Kazuki Nakajima going on to take sixth position.

Although Williams endured a troubled Malaysian Grand Prix, Rosberg was again in the points in Bahrain.

The German says the team are now moving in the right direction to return to the sharp end of the field and he reckons they could have done better already had things gone smoothly in the first three races.

"It is where we hoped to be. Come on - we've developed better than Renault, quicker than Red Bull," Rosberg told autosport.com. "Who would have expected that from a year and a half ago or whenever? It is positive and it is going in the right direction.

"But still we can do better. We really can do better, so many things have gone against us in these last weeks or months, we can definitely do better and make a big push to get it together again.

"There has been so many things going against us, so if we can turn them around then we can have a good development, just because we haven't made the best of what we could have done.

"I am not worried about development. I think we can do well, and the aero department has progressed well I feel. I don't think we need to be concerned that the package is too small. We are able now to do quite good steps."

He added: "It is so complex, a F1 team has so many people working there with deadlines, time and management, it is difficult sometimes to get the most out of it.

"Even so as a private team you do have some advantage... but still we haven't managed to do the best of it, with the front wing failures and things.

"A few things set us back and a few things were not able to come on the car, so in general they have done a good job but could have done better," added Rosberg, currently in eighth place in the driver standings.

The 22-year-old admits it was hard to cope with their dismal weekend in Sepang just one week after his maiden podium in Australia.

"Yes, it was horrible," he said. "To come from a podium and finish 16th in qualifying is really ugly, and in the race we had to take more risks because otherwise there is nothing going to come out of it, and then you crash and it is all horrible. It is nice to be back there.

"You feel so helpless as well, you look at the monitor you feel you have done a great lap, my lap in Malaysia was good, not great, but good, you look at the monitor see you are 16th and then feel so helpless."

Rosberg has been with the team since the 2006 season and he concedes he is enjoying being the team leader now.

"I think it is nice, it is a good position to be in," he said. "I have got the experience now. Set-up wise I am really progressing well and so I am able to give directions now and things and it motivates me to be in that position and know I can help out and make a change.

"So it is good and interesting to work with them, the respect has been growing over the years between us all."