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Rosberg will get first run in Mercedes

ESPNF1 Staff
January 21, 2011 « Ricciardo not taking anything for granted | »
Nico Rosberg at the wheel of a Mercedes road car at the Berlin Fashion Week © Getty Images
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Nico Rosberg will put the first miles on the new Mercedes W02 at the car's debut outing in Valencia next month.

The car will be launched in the pit lane on the opening day of testing and Rosberg has been given the nod over team-mate Michael Schumacher to give it its first run.

"I am going first," said the 25-year-old German, with Schumacher driving the car on day two. Speaking at the Fashion Week in Berlin, Rosberg added that the pre-season test schedule has been devised to be "fair" to both him and Schumacher, even though getting the first run is "something special".

"It will be interesting to see how it (the W02) feels," he said. "You know pretty quickly how good it is going to be.

"It is probably unrealistic to go into the season saying we will win the championship, but we will succeed sooner or later. We are on the right track."

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