- Mercedes
Rosberg: Williams highlights Mercedes' strength
Nico Rosberg believes Williams is a definite contenders for Melbourne, but feels confident all the Mercedes-powered teams have the edge due to the engine's superior powertrain.
The Mercedes engine has stood out in pre-season, its performances in stark contrast to those at the Renault-powered teams. Williams has been the standout performer in the latter stages of the second Bahrain test and Rosberg is convinced that is a good indication of the shape the Mercedes engine is in, though his focus remains solely on the fortunes of the factory team.
"Williams is looking decent definitely. I think a lot of it is probably down to the powertrain," he said. "The Mercedes powertrain is a little bit of an advantage over the others at the moment, possibly. But I'm not worried about anybody, I was just concentrating on my own stuff and then we'll see where we are in Melbourne. I'm optimistic for a good start to the season."
Rosberg has guarded against "favourites" talk already this winter and he still insists there are ongoing issues the factory Mercedes team has to work on before they can even think about challenging for a win in Melbourne.
"My car is not 100% ready yet because reliability is not 100% sorted yet. I think we might be in a bit of a better position than some other teams, but still we need to get to the end of the race, so that's a big challenge."