Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff claims Nico Rosberg’s contract situation is ‘under control’, with the championship leader expected to pen a new agreement with the German constructor later this year.
It is understood that Rosberg’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the season, though the 30-year-old recently hinted that he may not be out of contract beyond 2016.
Having previously declared there would be no negotiations until the summer, Wolff says keeping Rosberg, who is on an impressive run of six consecutive race victories, is Mercedes’ favoured option though details remain to be worked out.
"Maybe we should get in a hurry now with that kind of performance!" the Mercedes chief is quoted by ESPN. "A contract is always between two parties and it needs to pan out in the right way. It's all under control."
"He's been with the family for such a long time. He's a very important pillar of the team and he performs well, so in my opinion there is nothing that speaks against him joining up again, but then obviously it comes down to the detail. Obviously that needs to be discussed at a certain stage, but I guess we feel - both sides feel - comfortable about it."
After spending four formative years at Williams, Rosberg moved to Mercedes in 2010 as the manufacturer returned to F1 with a fully-fledged team. Since then, he has won 17 grands prix and secured 23 pole positions, though he lost out to team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the last two Drivers’ championships.
The relationship between the two rivals has been interspersed with a series of flashpoints, so much that Wolff warned over the winter that Mercedes could consider changing its line-up if tensions further escalated.
And with Hamilton signing a big three-year extension through 2018 last season, Rosberg has been seen as the most likely to leave should the team carry out its threat.
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