19-year-old Pascal Wehrlein has been named Mercedes reserve driver following his ADAC Formel Masters DTM victory last weekend.
The German also finished runner-up in his debut Formula 3 season in 2012, as well as completing over 12,000km in Mercedes’ F1 simulator this year alone.
Last week Wehrlein completed a 500km test at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve to prepare him for F1.
“I was delighted when I learned that I would be completing a Formula One test for Mercedes,” said Wehrlein. “It took me a few laps to get used to the incredible speed, the very hard brakes and the high cornering speeds – it’s in another league compared to the DTM.
“I adapted quickly and was able to improve in each of my short and long runs and didn’t want to go back to the pits. The test was simply the greatest experience I have had so far in motorsport. There weren’t any nerves, which surprised me – I just felt ready for it. The feedback from the team and from Toto [Wolff] was very encouraging and I think that I did a good job.”
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says it made sense to promote the youngester as he is familiar with the team, how it works and the car thanks to his simulator experience.
“We are delighted to officially welcome Pascal to the team after his successful test last week in Portugal. He has worked hard behind the scenes this year in our simulator, playing a very important role in our pre-race preparations. Aside from Nico [Rosberg] and Lewis [Hamilton], he is the driver most familiar with all the procedures of our F1 W05 Hybrid and therefore the right choice for the role of reserve driver.
“He took an important step last week when he drove a Formula One car for the first time – and we were pleased to see him deliver a composed and impressive test, in line with our expectations. This was followed by a fantastic win yesterday at the Lausitzring in the DTM, making the most of conditions where pure driving talent was able to shine. Pascal has a bright future ahead of him and we are excited to have him onboard for what will be an intense conclusion to the Formula One season.”
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