Nico Rosberg says he congratulated Lewis Hamilton on his new Mercedes contract and is glad the "awesome driver" will remain his team-mate.
Hamilton's new three-year deal was announced on Wednesday morning in Monaco, with the defending drivers' champion staying at Mercedes until at least the end of 2018. With Rosberg and Hamilton's relationship having become strained at times, the German says he is pleased he will continue to have such competitive team-mate in the coming years.
"I congratulated Lewis," Rosberg said. "I am sure it is a very exciting moment to sign a contract. We have a great battle, that is what racing is about. At the moment it is a neutral relationship, so it is working OK between us and we are really pushing each other. It shouldn’t be underestimated how we are pushing each other to higher and higher levels all the time. It is also great for the team, this internal battle. It is good to know now that future is going to be like that.
"I really enjoy the challenge of racing Lewis and I always have because he is an awesome driver and it is a great challenge to try and beat him."
And Rosberg says he was certain Hamilton would remain with the team despite the delay in agreeing the new deal.
"I didn’t expect him because there is no better place to be than Mercedes. This is the best team in F1 and probably will be in many years. We are doing an amazing job and the way our factory is at the moment, there is an awesome set-up. Awesome people, awesome communication in the factory, the support we have from Daimler is huge. This is going to go forward for many years."
Click here for a look at the technical updates brought by all the teams at the start of the European season
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
