McLaren made bid for Rosberg, Williams chief reveals
Saturday, 01 Mar 2008 11:54
Williams keen to hold onto Rosberg
Sir Frank Williams has revealed that his team received "an offer of majestic proportions" from Formula One rivals McLaren for their driver Nico Rosberg last year.
Speaking as McLaren are participating in a criminal investigation into an alleged case of spying on Ferrari, the Williams team boss stated that the substantial offer was never even remotely entertained or discussed.
"Why give away the crown jewels? Why improve the car by one second and give away half a second with the driver?" he stated.
However, he added that he did initially fear that the 22-year old driver would be tempted away by McLaren.
Rosberg, who is the son of the Finnish 1982 world champion Keke, is contractually tied to Williams until the end of the 2009 season.
The hotly-tipped driver explained: "I'm happy where I am. If the money is okay, and everybody is happy, then a contract still means something."
Earlier this week Rosberg expressed his confidence ahead of the forthcoming season.
The German finished third fastest at the end of the three-day training session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain, beating Williams team-mate Heikki Kovalainen into fourth place.
Mark Webber of Red Bull and Nelson Piquet, Jnr finished the session in fifth and sixth places respectively, while Jarno Trulli finished fastest overall.