Rosberg took two victories in 2013, when he triumphed in Monaco and at Silverstone and after Mercedes ran strongly during the opening pre-season test at Jerez last month, F1 boss, Bernie Ecclestone has tipped the German as the man most likely to topple Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel and prevent him from making it five titles in succession.

“That's a cool statement from him,” Rosberg told the Berliner Kurier, when asked about Ecclestone’s prediction in the countdown to this week’s test in Bahrain. “We are in a good mood and this season we will win a lot of races. The first test went really well and we are doing well. My new car was very reliable right from the beginning, but we do not know yet how we compare to our rivals.”

“Unfortunately it is still a bit early to talk about the title, although the reliability was strong at Jerez,” Rosberg added. “I did lots of laps and we learned so much. It is a nice feeling when you see that others cannot do many laps – although I take no great joy from it. I’m just happy if we good enough to be able to win. It is obvious that Red Bull and Renault have some problems with the new engine. We have done our homework better. But the crucial thing is where we are on the grid in Melbourne for the opening race. I would love to be able to fight against Sebastian.”