Rosberg happy to give Schumacher lower race number

(GMM) Nico Rosberg has shrugged off his allocation of the higher car number at Mercedes for the second season in succession.

Last year, with Michael Schumacher coming out of retirement, Rosberg agreed to relinquish the lower number 3 because the returning seven time world champion is "a bit superstitious" and prefers to wear odd race numbers.

Schumacher went on to score 70 fewer points than his younger cohort but, for the forthcoming 2011 season, Mercedes has once again agreed to allocate the premier odd number (7) to the 42-year-old.

"We talked about it in the team about a month ago," Rosberg told the Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper. "Michael wanted the number 7.

"First, because he is superstitious and thinks odd numbers are luckier, and secondly because of his 7 world championships. I had no problem with that.

"Anyway, the number 7 has only ever caused me bad luck in my career so I'm happy with 8," smiled Rosberg, 25.

Meanwhile, Rosberg said he was in Mercedes' driver simulator at Brackley last week where he got to grips with the additional buttons for 2011, including to charge and deploy KERS and operate the adjustable rear wing.

"At the beginning it was very difficult," he admitted. "There are so many things to consider at the same time."