Rosberg upbeat about Williams' future

The German has signed a new deal with Williams that commits him to the Grove-based outfit until the end of 2009.

And although that means he will be off the driver market for another two years, at a time when he was strongly linked with a move to McLaren, Rosberg is convinced he has done the right thing in remaining where he is.

"It pleased me that I was considered as a possible replacement for a double world champion," Rosberg told Gazzetta dello Sport about the speculation linking him with McLaren in place of Fernando Alonso.

"I would have been an interesting candidate for Mercedes.

"(Frank) Williams would probably have made a good deal in releasing me, but the fact that he hasn't done that means that the team have enough resources to face the future with confidence."

He added: "It's just one year more than previously scheduled. Frank Williams made me a nice offer, I feel good inside the team, and I'm sure we'll make more progress."

Rosberg thinks after two seasons in F1 he now has enough experience to lead the team, especially with him having a rookie teammate next year in Kazuki Nakajima.

And he thinks that even Lewis Hamilton is not quite ready to assume such a number one role at his team.

"As a driver yes, but from a technical point of view he won't be able to because of his lack of experience," said Rosberg on Hamilton. "One year in F1 is not enough."