Son of 1982 World Champion Keke, Nico Rosberg moved up to Formula One after a dominant season in the GP2 championship in which he took the title with ART Grand Prix. In April 2005 BMW Williams announced that Rosberg would become the team's second official test driver and after impressing all concerned the team confirmed his race seat alongside Mark Webber in 2006.

Rosberg's rise to Formula One saw the German take the traditional karting route starting in 1996 when he became the Regional Côte d'Azur mini-kart Champion. French and North American championships followed in 1997 and 1998 and Rosberg would finish fourth in the Junior European Karting Championship in 1999. He took the runner-up position in the Formula A European Karting Championship in 2000 and the Super A World Karting Championship title the following season. A move to single-seaters in 2002 saw Rosberg become the Formula BMW ADAC Champion before moving to the F3 Euro series and taking four wins over the next two years.

Joining ART Grand Prix in the new GP2 category in 2005, Rosberg enjoyed a season long battle against rival Heikki Kovalainen, eventually taking the title whilst also testing on a regular basis for Williams.

His debut season with Williams Cosworth saw flashes of raw pace with a great performance on his debut in Bahrain that saw the German take the fastest lap of the race on his way to seventh position. Another seventh place finish would follow at the European Grand Prix at Nurburgring, but it was essentially a tough first season for Rosberg.

The Williams Cosworth package was not particularly competitive and as with any rookie driver, Rosberg was also busy learning the circuits. His task was not made any easier in the very limited mileage Cosworth gave the team for the Friday practice sessions meaning that more often than not, Rosberg would head into qualifying with very little running behind him.

Rosberg remained with the team in 2007 and was joined by veteran Alex Wurz in what was a more competitive technical package. The team made good progress throughout the season with its Toyota-powered FW29 and this allowed Rosberg to notch up 20 points over the season and ninth in the standings.

With a long term deal with Williams agreed, Rosberg is hoping that the team can continue its recent progress as he chases his first podium position in 2008.