Official: Mercedes places Pascal Wehrlein at Manor
The reigning DTM champion, Pascal Wehrlein, has just been confirmed by Manor as a full-time driver. This leaves only one seat available on the grid.
Mercedes has therefore chosen to launch its protégé into the deep end of F1. Having fulfilled his part of the contract by winning the DTM championship, he hoped to secure a seat in F1.
By becoming the new engine supplier for Manor, Mercedes offered itself the opportunity to place him in another team other than its own to begin his learning of the discipline. The 21-year-old driver could only thank the star-branded company: « A word to my racing family at Mercedes-Benz, especially Toto, who has driven my career so far and made this opportunity possible. Thank you for the incredible support that has helped me achieve my dream. Now, it’s up to me to seize the opportunity and perform on the track. »
In order to convince Manor to take it, Mercedes had to agree to a significant financial commitment. We can thus imagine that the cost related to the engine was largely reduced, or even completely canceled, knowing that the current price hovers around 20 million dollars while Manor was looking for a budget of around 30 million dollars.
The young German can also benefit from a relaxation of the regulations implemented by the FIA for the Super License. Indeed, concerned about curbing the rush towards youth that led Toro Rosso to appoint Max Verstappen, the FIA imposed a minimum points system to qualify for an F1 seat. His title in DTM only allows him to have 16 points instead of the 40 required. Nevertheless, since he obtained his Super License the previous season under the old regulations, he still has the right to start a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The second driver of the team will therefore need to be able to provide a significant budget. Alexander Rossi seems in a good position given that he benefits from the support of a number of American sponsors and already has experience in F1. Will Stevens can also present the same arguments while Rio Haryanto relies primarily on the broad support of the Indonesian government.
Less than two weeks before the first private tests, the decision should be made in the coming days.
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
