Mercedes will announce its first driver today

The transfer market for the 2010 season should become a bit clearer today once Mercedes Grand Prix officially announces the name of its number 1 driver. The announcement should be made today, this evening at the latest, and Nico Rosberg remains the favorite for this position.

The German automobile manufacturer, Mercedes, has acquired a majority stake in the capital of the Brawn GP team. The team – 2009 world champion – will now race under the name Mercedes GP.

Since this announcement, the transfer market has cleared up. Jenson Button, the reigning world champion, has confirmed his move to McLaren alongside Lewis Hamilton. Earlier in the month, Rubens Barrichello had also been confirmed at Williams F1. As a result, the two seats at Mercedes GP (formerly Brawn GP) are left without drivers for 2010.

It has been known for several weeks now that Nico Rosberg already has a signed contract with Mercedes-Benz to race in one of the teams powered by the star-branded firm. With both seats at McLaren occupied and a move to Force India (another team powered by Mercedes-Benz) highly unlikely, the German is expected to be officially announced today at Mercedes GP.

Only the number 2 driver will need to be found, who must also be German. With Timo Glock having signed with Manor GP, only Adrian Sutil and Nick Heidfeld remain to fill this position. It is thanks to his consistency that the latter is considered the favorite.

The Mercedes GP press conference, with Nick Fry (Technical Director) and Norbert Haug (Mercedes-Benz Engine Director) in attendance, is scheduled to start at 1:00 PM.