MARCH 30, 2006

Nico Rosberg and McLaren

There are rumours floating around that McLaren would like to see Nico Rosberg in a car alongside Fernando Alonso in 2007. It is a great idea for Mercedes-Benz, of course, which would like to have a German star in the future. But those who think that Sir Frank Williams is going to sell Rosberg's contract may have to think again. Williams has been through the F1 mill enough times to know that when you sign a nobody, you hold all the cards and that means that Rosberg Jr will have agreed to any number of Williams options for the years ahead. When one considers that this year Williams is being paid an inordinate amount of money because he had a binding option of Jenson Button dating back to 2000, it seems logical that he will also have options on Rosberg going from here to 2010. Those who believe that McLaren will simply pay Williams overlook the fact that FW is not going to settle for anything under $30m and that McLaren still has a sizeable debt resulting from the construction of its technical centre in Woking, not to mention a list of potential drivers already under contracts, including the promising Gary Paffett and Lewis Hamilton, a man who has a massive potential to put McLaren into the spotlight.