A Mercedes spokesman on Friday said quotes attributed to Nico Rosberg by a German tabloid newspaper were taken out of context.

25-year-old Mercedes GP driver Rosberg reportedly said the 2010 car was a “disaster”, while he is “angry” about the “backwards” development of the W01.

But the spokesman, revealing that he has spoken to Rosberg who is upset about the newspaper’s sensationalism, insisted that the German has “nothing but admiration” for both Mercedes and team boss Ross Brawn.

Rosberg, currently seventh in the drivers’ world championship, is also “completely happy with the Silver Arrows team”, the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport spokesman added.

It is wrong to describe Mercedes’ original 2010 car as the “old” one, Norbert Haug insisted on Wednesday.

Despite the German team only debuting its ‘new’ longer wheelbase version in Spain last weekend, it has been confirmed that Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg will be driving the previous specification this weekend in Monaco.

Team boss Ross Brawn said the team “will run our new aero package but we will revert to our previous specification suspension system to allow for the steering lock required around this unique circuit”.

According to DPA news agency, Haug insisted: “There is no ‘old’ and ‘new’ silver arrows.

“There is one with a longer wheelbase, as used in Barcelona, and one with a shorter wheelbase, as used in the previous four races,” added the German.