Nico Rosberg, locked in a titanic duel with teammate Lewis Hamilton for this year’s drivers’ title, on Wednesday signed a new “multi-year” contract with Mercedes, the German F1 team announced.
Rosberg, 29, joined Mercedes on the German car giant’s return to F1 in 2010. In five seasons he has won six times, with 17 podiums and eight pole positions.
“Mercedes….is delighted to announce that it signed a multi-year contract extension with Nico Rosberg on 14 July 2014,” a statement on the team’s official website confirmed.
Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff added: “This new contract brings us important stability and continuity for the future and I am delighted to be able to make the announcement in time for the home race of Mercedes-Benz and Nico in Hockenheim.â€
Rosberg leads the 2014 drivers title race by a mere four points from Hamilton, who joined Mercedes from McLaren on a three year deal in 2013, going into the German Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hamilton, the 2008 champion, made up ground on Rosberg when claiming victory at Silverstone last time out, with Rosberg, who had set pole, failing to finish.
Up to the British Grand Prix Rosberg had finished first or second in all previous eight races.
Rosberg said he was “proud” to drive for the team he described “as the best in the world”.
“It has been a difficult road to get to where we are now – but everybody kept believing and, thanks to the fantastic support from Mercedes-Benz, we are now leading the way in F1,” he said.
“There has been big progress during the past year, building up our structure, management and capability for the future.
“We have an awesome team and I am confident that we have the right people in place at every level. I’m looking forward to the next years together, when we will keep pushing to win even more races and, hopefully, championships.”
Wolff added: “Nico has been part of the Silver Arrows project since day one and he has had a big stake in the development of the team since 2010.
“His speed, commitment and focus have all helped to give clear direction and to drive the team forward. With his performances in 2014, Nico has demonstrated to the outside world what we knew already in the team; that he is one of the very top drivers in Formula One.”