Rosberg wants to be in a top car by 2010

Germany's Nico Rosberg, eyed by McLaren in the past, has said he had to be in a 'top car' by 2010 and hoped his current Formula One team Williams could provide it.

The 23-year-old, son of 1982 champion Keke, has yet to win a race in three seasons in Formula One while McLaren contemporary Lewis Hamilton has become the sport's youngest champion after just two years in the sport.

"For me it's a crucial year, this year," he told reporters at the team's factory.

"I hope that I am going to have the car to have good success this year, it's very possible. If not, then I need to see because by 2010 at the latest I really want to be in a top car," he added.

"I wish it could be with Williams, that would be fantastic because really it would be something special for me to have success with this team."

Rosberg, who made his debut with the former champions in 2006, is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked in the past to McLaren.

Williams founder Frank Williams said last year that McLaren had made an offer of "majestic proportions" for the driver in 2007 when they were looking for a replacement for Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso.

Finland's Heikki Kovalainen was eventually signed by McLaren instead but his contract also runs out at the end of the year.

"I'm really determined to get the best out of myself, I'm always constantly improving my training and all the rest of it," said Rosberg, a former GP2 champion who finished second in last season's Singapore night race and third in Australia.

"Some drivers take longer than others to get to the top and you also need to be in the right car at the right moment, have a bit of luck and at the same time show that you are good enough to get a top car."

Frank Williams, whose team finished eighth overall last year, said they hoped to do substantially better this term.

"We'd like to be a winner or in the top two all of the time but to be very close to the top three would be a big step for year one (under the new regulations)," he said. "It's by no means impossible...we might get lucky with the car."