Nico Rosberg has confirmed at the season finale Abu Dhabi that he will leave the Williams F1 team at the end of the 2009 season after four years with the team in Formula One, with the German insisting that he wants a winning car for 2010.
Rosberg made the announcement at the 2009 season finale in Abu Dhabi, and his confirmation validates the rumours linking the son of 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg with a move away from the British team.
Rosberg joined Williams in 2006 after winnin gthe inaugural GP2 Series, and despite a crash-prone first season alongside Mark Webber, he has brought a new consistency into his driving in recent years. He scored 75.5 points for the team across his four seasons, including two podiums in 2008, but has grown increasingly frustrated with the team's inability to make the final leap to race-winning pace.
2009 started strongly when Rosberg led the first laps of the Malaysian GP, but a poor pit strategy in the chaotic monsoon conditions that blighted the race saw him fall back. He was also tipped to challenge for the win in Singapore, but he made a mistake exiting the pits and picked up a drive-through penalty.
Talking in Abu Dhabi, Rosberg confirmed that this weekend's event would be his final race for the team.
"It is my last race for Williams," Rosberg sighed wistfully, "And that is it really. It is a bit strange because for four or five years it is the only team I have worked with, so it has been a long time.
"I get on with everybody really well, obviously, and a lot of respect has built up - with the mechanics and everyone. So it will be quite strange to leave."
He added the necessary platitudes, saying: "I can also use this opportunity to thank the team, because all in all I think they have done, for my career, a lot of good. Especially Sir Frank [Williams], Adam Parr, Sam Michael and Patrick [Head], they supported my career all these years. So it is a big thank you to them."
As to his destination for 2010, Rosberg was cagey about where he might be heading, merely saying: "I don't want to talk about my future. I just want to say that I won't be at Williams, because that is for sure."
Rosberg has been linked with a move to Brawn GP for 2010 to partner Jenson Button, and recently Mercedes boss Norbert Haug has stated that: "If there is the possibility of having a good German driver [for 2010], then we will."
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