Rosberg working hard

New Formula One recruit Nico Rosberg has been a busy man in the weeks since signing for WilliamsF1 but the GP2 Champion says that he has settled in well and is enjoying the team's winter testing programme.

Rosberg has been testing at Barcelona and Jerez in Spain to help Williams develop their understanding of their new Cosworth V8 engine and Bridgestone Potenza tyres and the German-born driver is happy with progress.

Nico Rosberg "I'm settling in well - the team have made me very welcome, I've got to know everybody off the track and at testing as well. Obviously there is a lot of work still needed to make things even better, but it's a positive start. We're making progress with the engine and tyres, which is good because it's very important to get the mileage in and check the reliability, so we're making good steps there."

The Spanish tests provided a chance for Williams and Bridgestone to re-establish their working partnership for the first time since the 2000 season and Rosberg has already noticed the rate of progress from the tyre manufacturer.

Despite anticipating some early teething troubles, the son of 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg is confident that a successful testing programme will help Williams and Bridgestone improve on last season's performances.

"The work has been especially good in Jerez as opposed to Barcelona because the temperatures were a bit low there so grip was limited. But the tyres have already improved quite substantially in the short time between the tests. There might be a few problems early on as you might expect, but we're starting from a very strong base. They will definitely do a good job."

Rosberg has three years of occasional testing for Williams already under his belt - and believes the interim FW27B requires a similar style of driving to the GP2 car - in which he won five races this year.

"The feel of both is pretty similar actually, but obviously the Formula One car does have much more grip and downforce so, to drive it, is amazing. The brakes are a little tricky to get used to as well, but I'm not so new to Formula One because I first tested a Williams three years ago, and I've done multi-day tests throughout the year."