Nico Rosberg: Does Anyone else...

[Rippers]

...REALLY want this guy to sucede and shut his critics up this year, and what do you think he is capable of?

Rosberg JNR I feel has been very unfairly criticised on last years peformance, he had a team mate who didnt want to know he was there (no complaints but it was negative on Rosberg). He has had other drivers laying on very unfair criticisim (Montreal 06). And his car was the worse peforming car Williams has ever made.

Despite this he far from disgraced himself in his rookie year I think he has learnt alot from it. So for various F1 publications to say this is Rosbergs make or break year I think is appaling. Button was also lynched upon after two years, and is now GP winner.

My point is in time Rosberg WILL come good, and if he is disgarded from F1 it will be a big mistake. The guy is everything F1 should be, and IMO will become one of the most loved F1 World Champions.

Maybe im going over the top, but its honestley what I belive will happen. Opinions?

[Osella]

I wouldn't go that far, but... I certainly believe he is a potential GP winner, he's calm enough and also consistent, but perhaps needs a bit too much...ego massaging for Williams.

It's also unfair to compare virtually any driver to Button, he was deservedly lynched and criticised as he was an idiot in 2000 and thought that he just needed to turn up and race and everything would fall in his lap. Flav let him know that was not the case...!
I didn't hear about Nico partying and driving his mates around Hockenheim in a road car and living the 'footballer' lifestyle. As with Button, I'm sure Williams and Head would not have tolerated it if he had!

[Rippers]

I see your point but in comparing with Button I was saying how having two years that are awful in F1 does not make you not good enough, and Button for me is a prime example. As he has bounced back well from his Williams/Briatore days, when his reputation was in tatters.

With Rosberg though he has the double edged sword of his fathers name. Good in getting you drives but with it comes pressure, something i think after 2006 he has already been tested on. 2007 I think we will see the real Nico Rosberg and how his mental strength makes/breaks him...I think will end Alex Wurz F1 career

[Sleeper]

Last year, Autosport ran a feature on the four most likely young drivres to try and push Raikkonen and Alonso off the top off the tree, and Rosberg was one of them (as was Kubica, Kovaleinen and Hamilton), so there are definitely people out there that think he's got talant, I think he's just got to unlock it consistently.

[Hawkmoon]

I think the pressure on Rosberg came about because he started 2006 very well and this set the expectations bar much higher than usual for most rookies.

He tailed off midseason and had a pretty normal rookie season after that. He made mistakes, had a few incidents and struggled with a rubbish car.

I think the analogy with Button is pretty acurate. Button had a rookie season that raised expectations and Button failed to meet those expectations, for whatever reason, for the next three seasons until a he had a breakout 2004.

Rosberg could be headed down the same path. People saw what he did at the start of 2006 and expect him to keep delivering. He didn't deliver for the balance of 2006 and if he again falls short in 2007 I think many will be ready to consign him to the also-ran scrap heap.

Personally, I think Rosberg has to beat Wurz by a reasonable margin in 2007 if he wants to remain in the top teams future plans. Assumimg, of course, that he is in those plans already. If he can't beat a guy who hasn't had a race seat since 2000 (I think) then we can probably right him off.

[ArrowsFA1]

The problem with F1, as with many things now, is that drivers are not given time to develop. Expectations are high immediately, and there are other rookies coming along who are seen as the next big thing.

Fortunately Williams have faith in Nico, and with his first year out of the way and a more competitive (it seems) car this year I expect he'll do well.

[harsha]

i don't think Rosberg can out do Alex Wurz,remember Wurz is a good talent,just didn't get the chances....

[jens]

Agreed that beating Wurz is vital for Rosberg. He was occasionally quick last year, but still a lot of proving needs to be done to call him future champion.

He has got another problem - he is stuck in a midfield-team and it's pretty tough to get into top teams as they all seem to be occupied by all kinds of youngsters. In the next years his best hope might be joining Toyota (in the first half of 2006 there were rumours that he might join already for 2007), although probably to many that doesn't look the most attractive opportunity. But at least some step forward.

[ioan]

The problem with F1, as with many things now, is that drivers are not given time to develop. Expectations are high immediately, and there are other rookies coming along who are seen as the next big thing.

They had time to develop before being signed by an F1 team, or at least that is what I suppose they do in the inferior formulas, develop.
What they need to do in F1 is to work hard, that's all.
They are all talented, bur only few of them are willing and capable to be at 100% for a full season.

[janneppi]

Keke Rosberg once commented about the difference between him and his son, before they entered F1, Nico had raced many times more than Keke and was a experienced racer.
It shouldn't really be a problem, of course pressure is higher in F1, and coming from a top GP2 team to a midfield team wasn't an easy transition.