Formula E is 'the future' - Rosberg

Switzerland - Reigning F1 world champion Nico Rosberg says the all-electric single seater series Formula E is "the future".

Referring to the prospect of Mercedes taking on other automakers including Audi, BMW and others, the German said: "This is the future of the world and it will be exciting to see when all those manufacturers put their cards on the table." 

Rosberg was speaking to DPA news agency in Stuttgart, where his title-winning car of 2016 was added to the Mercedes museum.

F1 career 'definitely over'

The car takes the place of a former Lewis Hamilton machine, with Rosberg winking: "That's ok with me. This is a very emotional moment, as I was here as a 14-year-old."

But Rosberg, 32, said his F1 career is "definitely over".

He said: "Now I'm in a great situation in my life - it's like a discovery phase."  He also confirmed that his second child will soon be born.

There has, however, been speculation Rosberg might one day return to racing, such as to run Mercedes' Formula E programme.

"Racing will always be fun to me, so let's see what happens.  I will always be passionate about our sport and there will always be options to be involved.

"It does not have to be tomorrow, it could be in ten years, but I will be open to all possibilities," Rosberg added.

He did confirm that future technology, like that seen in Formula E, is a particular personal interest.

Rosberg said: "It will change our world completely. We'll have cars that drive themselves and not just in 20 years - it's just around the corner. I'm very interested in how our lives will be simplified by that." 

Who will win the 2017 Championship?

As for the outcome of this year's F1 title battle, Rosberg said of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel: "Both of them are good mentally, but Sebastian is also strong in unfavourable situations, as we saw in Baku.

"As for Lewis it is always interesting to see how he gets to the track - whether he's at 100% or just at 95%.  But it will be a very good second half of the season and I hope that it's a huge battle at the last race."