Triple world champion Niki Lauda reckons there is no chance whatsoever that Michael Schumacher will make his rumoured comeback with Mercedes GP.

Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug has declined to dismiss the speculation that his team wants Schumacher as Nico Rosberg’s team-mate in 2010.

The seven times world champion had intended to make a comeback with Ferrari last summer to deputise for the sidelined Felipe Massa, but a lingering neck injury from a motorcycle accident cancelled that plan.

Lauda, who returned to Formula 1 himself two and a half years after his initial retirement from the sport, said he understood why Schumacher had been interested in the Ferrari chance, but cannot envisage him wanting to make a full-time comeback.

“I don’t believe that there is one single grain of truth in [the rumours], at least from all the signals that I get,” Lauda told the official Formula 1 website.

“There was a window of opportunity after Felipe’s accident and had Michael been fit he would have taken up that chance to race for three or four races – to prove himself, get the adrenaline rush, and see where he stood in the pecking order.

“But I cannot believe that he would be up for a full season. Why then did he stop racing in the first place? But that is my personal opinion.”

With McLaren having signed world champion Jenson Button, Lauda thinks Mercedes is short of good options for its second car. Nick Heidfeld is the current favourite for the drive.

“With the Button departure, Rosberg is at the moment their only driver – a good man for sure, but good men get even better with a team-mate that gives them a hard time 24 hours a day,” he said.

“That is positive, performance and development-wise. They have to be very careful now in their selection, trying to get a top man for the second cockpit.

“Ferrari’s pairing of [Fernando] Alonso and Massa and McLaren with their two British champions will be very, very competitive. We have also seen how [Sebastian] Vettel and [Mark] Webber egg each other on to top performances, so the ‘Silver Arrows’ will be confronted with competitors with top driver line-ups. In my opinion all the top drivers are already signed.”

Nico Rosberg has been announced as Mercedes Grand Prix’s first driver for the 2010 season.

The signing of the 24-year-old German has been expected ever since he confirmed in October that he would not remain with Williams for a fifth straight season.

“I am really happy to be a part of the Silver Arrows re-launch in 2010 as a driver for Mercedes,” said Rosberg.

“No other brand in Formula 1 can look back on such a long and successful tradition in motor racing. I am very proud that I will now drive for the new Mercedes team and work with Ross Brawn.

“I am more motivated than ever and can hardly wait to start testing with the new Silver Arrow and for the first race of the new season at Bahrain in March.”

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn, who guided the squad to drivers’ and constructors’ titles this year under the guise of Brawn GP, believes that Rosberg is the ideal driver to join the team for 2010.

“We are delighted to welcome Nico to our Mercedes team and are very much looking forward to working with him,” he said.

“Nico is a great talent, and with four years of experience in Formula 1, is a driver who will be able to make a valuable contribution to our team right from the outset.

“I had the pleasure of working with his father Keke during his Formula One career and it is great to see Nico following in his footsteps.

“2009 was Nico’s best season in Formula 1 to date and we look forward to seeing his development continue with us at Mercedes next year.”

Rosberg’s team-mate is expected to be fellow German Nick Heidfeld, although no announcement has been made.

Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug says new signing Nico Rosberg has impressed him throughout his racing career and is definitely ready to become a regular winner in Formula 1.

Rosberg was announced as the first driver for the new Mercedes GP team – formed by the German company’s recent purchase of the title-winning Brawn squad – earlier today.

Haug said he had been following Rosberg since his karting days and had long been impressed.

“I’ve followed his career for a very long time,” he said. “I know Keke [Rosberg] very well and I followed his career which shows how old I am! I’ve known Nico since he was a young boy but this is not the reason that he is now driving for us.

“He was very impressive from his first races in karts that I have followed – obviously we helped the guys, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at that stage with the so-called MBM Mercedes-Benz McLaren kart team.

“And Nico came into the support programme of DTM in Formula BMW ADAC, won everything and raced for us with Mercedes engines in F3. And more recently he achieved a lot in GP2.

“He has starred in every category and in his first F1 race he got the fastest lap. He is very capable and this was the reason.

“He did an exceptional job for Williams-Toyota this year and delivered some very strong races that come to mind like coming home fourth from 15th at the Nurburgring. He brought the car to the finish very often, not a lot of mistakes, good speed in qualifying – all of that was the reason behind it.”

Rosberg was unable to win a race during his four seasons with Williams, but did take two podium finishes in 2008, and a career-best seventh place in the drivers’ standings this year.

Team boss Ross Brawn told German newspaper Bild over the weekend that rumours of a possible return by the seven-time champion were a “fantasy of the media”.

“Michael would have come back temporarily for Ferrari but he doesn’t want to begin a new career,” Brawn added.

“I think that we have to live with these speculations,” said Haug during a press conference. “What Ross pointed out, I think we have to respect that. I fully understand that these speculations are ongoing as long as we don’t announce who is driving the other car but that’s what we have to live with.”

When asked to categorically deny Schumacher could drive the car, Haug added: “When will you ever say categorically anything in F1? Ross made it quite clear and I really have nothing to add.”

Mercedes GP chief executive Nick Fry was also unwilling to discuss the Schumacher rumours.

“I’ve got nothing to add to that,” he said. “We are here today to talk about Nico Rosberg and we should stick with that subject. Ross has answered the question extremely well.”

Fry said Mercedes was in no great hurry to finalise who would partner Rosberg in its 2010 line-up, but that the decision was likely within the next month.

“It obviously would have been ideal to announce them together but that’s impossible,” he said.

“We don’t have huge time pressure at the moment, but once one goes beyond Christmas and into the new year it becomes slightly more difficult with seat fits in time for the engineers to talk to the driver. I would hope on the other driver to do it before Christmas purely for logistical reasons.”

Source: Autosport.com

News on Jenson Button’s move to McLaren has even shocked this year’s championship runner-up Sebastian Vettel. The German is surprised by the the new champion to switch teams. Read the Autosport.com story for the full details below:

Sebastian Vettel was shocked by title rival Jenson Button’s move to McLaren, and expects Mercedes GP to be a strong contender in 2010.

The German, who finished second in this year’s world championship, said he was not expecting Button to leave the team with which he won both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles, especially given that it had just become a manufacturer outfit, with Mercedes taking controlling equity.

“I think it was a surprise to everyone,” Vettel told AUTOSPORT. “Brawn GP, now Mercedes GP, was very very strong this year. They won the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. They had a very good car, a good team and it’s always a surprise if a champion, in a champion team, is leaving.

“You don’t know if things will change completely next year, but in that regard for Brawn GP it was a very positive thing to happen that Mercedes is now taking over and it’s a manufacturer team.

“So it was a surprise and for next year they’re going to be strong. McLaren always has been. This year they were struggling a little bit but I think looking back they’ve always been strong.”

Vettel said it would be intriguing to watch how Button fares as the new boy coming in at McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton entering his fourth season with the team.

“I think it will be interesting,” he said. “They’re obviously both English and McLaren is an English team. Lewis knows the team very well, already for a couple of years now, Jenson is the new one coming in, so we will see.”

The 22-year-old expects the usual top teams to be back in contention for the world championship in 2010, following a year of shake-ups in the established order due to the new tehcnical regulations. However he remains confident of Red Bull Racing getting even stronger after being Brawn GP’s main rival this year.

“I’m very confident in how strong we are in Red Bull and we will get even stronger,” said Vettel. “It will be a nice challenge next year, not only with McLaren, also with Mercedes GP, whose drivers we don’t know yet, and also with Ferrari, same as McLaren.

“The rules change a little bit, no refuelling, a little bit different tyres but not that much. Not like from 2008 to 2009, so we’ll see in the first test.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8368107.stm

Shuey is back! Well maybe. Merc would love it for him to race for them, but I just cannot see this happening. There is just too much to do/red tape/fitness for this to happen.

but what a line up for next year! OK so I have massive respect for Micheals immense talent, and one that could still make him champion, I still cannot stand the cheating twat. However, I’d easily prefer Shuey than rumored Kubica so go Germany! Just imagine though what it could do for the team! Mercedes money, Schumacher and the one and only Ross Brawn! Good things could happen for Merc GP, as without him, as good as some free drivers are atm, I just dont see Merc Gp doing ANYTHING next year. Without Shuey, they’ll be in the mid field with all the rest. Loosing Button and Rubins was the worst thing that could have happen to this team. Huge mistake, albeit, probably the doing of Mercedes. Just goes to show, they should stick to making engines only!

As for Kimi, well, that is it for him. I just dont think there will be a way back for him after a year out. He’ll demand way too much money and sod all PR work and want a prime seat in a prime team, after a year out?! Nah wont happen. TBO I wont slit my wrists over him going. He was a fantastic driver when he could be bothered to be. But god that bloke is dull. And they say Shuey was bad! Now listening him drone on about this and that, that could lead me to slit my wrists! If he goes to rallying then I’ll be sure to watch though. That ‘so laid back he’d fall over lying down’ demeanor could prove a great asset when driver at over a 100mph over a gravel road.