McLaren's apparent hopes of luring Nico Rosberg away from Williams to partner Lewis Hamilton, appear to have been dashed with the news that the German has signed a new deal with the Grove outfit. The new contract will see the former GP2 Series champion remain with the British team until the end of 2009.

"I'm delighted about having two more years with Williams," he told Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "Williams made me a much improved offer and I decided to accept it.

"I'm now the number one driver in a very good team," he added. "Of course I could have imagined myself at McLaren just as I could have imagined being at Ferrari. Every young driver wants to be a in a winning car and to win races. I'm no different. I race for success. But I feel I have to be patient, like most people. There are only a few exceptions, like Lewis, who can have immediate success. Mika Hakkinen had to wait six years for a first win."

McLaren insists that it is in no rush to name Hamilton's partner, however, it is understood that the dithering, not to mention the various problems the team encountered in 2007, not least the departure of Fernando Alonso, has led to a number of the team's sponsors getting jittery. While some speculate that the team is looking for a German driver in order to appease Mercedes, others believe that Pedro de la Rose could be promoted in order to satisfy Santander.