Nico Rosberg has welcomed Lewis Hamilton's new contract with Mercedes, saying he did not expect his team-mate to go anywhere else.
Rosberg is contracted until at least 2016, while Hamilton's new deal means he will remain at the team until the end of 2018. The relationship between the pair hit the rocks last year during their title battle, but Rosberg insists he is happy to continue to race alongside Hamilton.
"I congratulated Lewis," he said. "I am sure it is a very exciting moment to sign a contract. We have a great battle, that is what racing is about. At the moment it is a neutral relationship, so it is working okay between us and we are really pushing each other. It shouldn't be underestimated how we are pushing each other to higher and higher levels all the time. It is also great for the team, this internal battle. It is good to know now that future is going to be like that."
He added: "I didn't expect him [to leave Mercedes] because there is no better place to be than Mercedes. This is the best team in F1 and probably will be in many years. We are doing an amazing job and the way our factory is at the moment, there is an awesome set-up. Awesome people, awesome communication in the factory, the support we have from Daimler is huge. This is going to go forward for many years."
Asked to expand on what he meant by a "neutral" relationship, Rosberg added: "No change, it is just a complicated battle. It is internal and we have to think about the team and at the same time think about beating each other. It is always going to be complicated as both of us want to win, so there are ups and downs."
Rosberg insists he is happy with his own contract.
"I am very happy with my contract. I haven't seen the numbers. I haven't read what you have written, but then I also doubt you will get close to the real figure because I know what I earn and I know what you write so I can tell you it is often far off. I really enjoy the challenge of racing Lewis and I always have because he is an awesome driver and it is a great challenge to try and beat him."