Planet-F1

Rosberg adds fuel to McLaren rumours

Thursday 17th July 2008

Nico Rosberg has poured doubt over his Williams future, claiming that even though he has a contract with the team that doesn't mean he'll be racing for them next season.

Rosberg's future has been the topic of much speculation in recent months with McLaren reportedly keen to sign the German when they lost Fernando Alonso at the end of last season.

Now with new driver Heikki Kovalainen failing to impress so far this season, Rosberg is once again being linked to a McLaren race-seat for 2009 even though he is still under contract with Williams.

And the German is doing little to curb the rumours.

"I have a contract for 2009," he told Sport Bild.

"It's like in football. Look at the situation of (Germany football player Lukas) Podolski. He has a contract for next season at FC Bayern - but will he be there?"

The German, though, added that he would not even consider a move to another team unless he got the okay from team boss Frank Williams.

"I would only think about it if Frank agreed to release me," he said.

And that isn't likely to happen as Williams has often said in the past that no amount of money would be enough for him to part ways with Rosberg.

"How am I going to go with that to the people in the factory, and to the sponsors?" Sir Frank said late last year when rumours first linked Rosberg to a McLaren drive.

"I keep telling them that we want to be back up there at the top, and if I sold our best driver then I might as well sell the team.

"A year ago I might have weakened because we really needed the money. But this is no longer the case."