Rosberg denies Mercedes stopping 2010 car focus

Nico Rosberg has denied speculation that Mercedes has now stopped developing its 2010 car.

The German was about a second off the pace in Montreal qualifying, while in the sister W01 his teammate Michael Schumacher will line up on the grid a disappointing 13th.

It was reported recently that if the Brackley based team does not make rapid development progress, the entire focus would switch to next year’s car.

But Rosberg told Welt am Sonntag newspaper: “That’s not true.

“The development of the current car is running at full speed.”

The 24-year-old insists he is still in the hunt for the 2010 world championship, even if Schumacher admitted in Canada he is “not really in a position to win it”.

“It’s more about building up for next year,” said Schumacher.

But Rosberg said: “There are 12 races to go and I’m 27 points behind the leader.  There’s still everything in it.”

However, he acknowledged that the W01 is “not yet capable of winning on our own”.

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