Manor driver Pascal Wehrlein says the outfit's performance during the Chinese Grand Prix reflects its position in the 2016 pecking order, after the rookie came home in 18th position. Wehrlein crashed out of qualifying and started from 21st position but stayed out behind the Safety Car to run as high as fourth, before slipping back through the order. Manor fitted Super Soft tyres to Wehrlein's car for the final stint of the race in a bid to chase Renault's Kevin Magnussen, but his charge fell […]

Pascal Wehrlein hailed the progress made by Manor after he was able to sustain a race-long fight in the midfield and collect 13th place at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Wehrlein qualified in 16th position and moved forwards at the start, briefly running as high as seventh through the pit stop phase, and finished ahead of both Force India drivers and Sauber's Felipe Nasr. "It was a great race for me," he said. "I can’t even compare it to the one in Melbourne because it felt […]

Pascal Wehrlein hailed the progress made by Manor after he qualified in 16th position for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Wehrlein comfortably out-qualified team-mate Rio Haryanto and set a couple of eye-catching laps, only narrowly missing out on a place in Q2. Wehrlein praised Manor for the progress it made since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, where he qualified at the back of the field. "I’m really happy with qualifying, the team has done an incredible job," he said. "It’s not [even a] comparison to Melbourne, […]

Pascal Wehrlein says Manor can be encouraged by its potential, despite completing his maiden Formula 1 race as the last of the classified finishers in Australia. Wehrlein placed 16th after late struggles with tyre wear and brakes, but had earlier surged from 21st to 15th on the first lap, before maintaining his position across the opening stint. "First of all it’s great to finish my first race and thanks to the team for that," he said. "I got a fantastic start and I was very […]

Pascal Wehrlein says he is encouraged by Manor's deficit to the front runners, and believes that the squad has made substantial progress during pre-season testing. Wehrlein, who will make his Formula 1 debut in Australia, was eighth quickest on his last test day in the MRT05, 2.2 seconds slower than pace setter Kimi Raikkonen. Manor spent 2015 significantly adrift of the pack but the German youngster is upbeat over the outfit's potential. "Already the car feels a lot better than the one we started with […]

Pascal Wehrlein hailed a "really good" first day with his new Manor team as he gave the MRT05 its track debut at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Wehrlein completed the first laps in Manor's new car and ended the day ninth quickest, having racked up 54 laps. "A really good first day with the car and for me, so I’m very happy," said Wehrlein. "I have a great car that’s as good to drive as it is to look at and already we’ve started to make […]

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says that proteges Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon securing Formula 1 roles on merit is a boost for the sport. Reigning DTM champion Wehrlein, 21, has tested extensively for Mercedes and will graduate to a Formula 1 seat with Manor for the 2016 campaign. Ocon, who claimed the GP3 title in 2015, will replace Wehrlein in Mercedes' DTM line-up and will also act as back-up to Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen at Renault. "We're delighted that Pascal and Esteban will tackle […]

Pascal Wehrlein will graduate to Formula 1 this year with Manor Racing as the second youngest driver on the grid and with a lengthy association with World Champions Mercedes. Wehrlein spent the late 2000s racing in karting in his native Germany and progressed to single-seaters in 2010, competing in ADAC Formel Masters. Wehrlein placed sixth in his maiden campaign before emerging as the front-runner in 2011, claiming the crown with eight victories from 24 races. That earned him a step up to Formula 3 in […]

Manor has confirmed that it has signed Mercedes youngster Pascal Wehrlein for the 2016 season. Wehrlein, 21, has been affiliated with Mercedes for several years and participated in Formula 1 test days for the reigning champions and Force India in 2015, alongside his title-winning DTM campaign. Manor has acquired Mercedes power units for 2016, having previously used 2014-spec Ferrari engines, and has also begun a technical partnership with Williams. Manor has also undertaken management restructuring across the winter, with Dave Ryan, Nikolas Tombazis and Pat […]

Mercedes reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein posted the quickest lap time on a day of testing affected by rain at the Red Bull Ring. The morning session was red flagged after just two slow installation laps from McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne and Ferrari youngster Antonio Fuoco. Once conditions improved, drivers gradually hit the circuit and the session was extended by two hours to make up for lost time in the morning. Wehrlein ended with a time of 1:11.005, almost two-tenths of a second quicker than Force India's […]

Pascal Wehrlein will receive further outings for both Force India and Mercedes at next week's post-race test in Austria. Wehrlein drove for both squads during pre-season testing and received another day in the Mercedes W06 Hybrid in Spain, though missed out on running for Force India due to illness. Wehrlein will test for Force India on Tuesday before moving to Mercedes on Wednesday, the squads confirmed to F1Zone.net. Nico Rosberg will drive for Mercedes on the opening day of running at the Red Bull Ring. […]

Lotus driver Jolyon Palmer posted a late lap on the Super Soft tyres to set the quickest time on the final day of in-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Mercedes youngster Pascal Wehrlein had sat atop the times for much of the day's running but Palmer's lap of 1:26.080 demoted him to second. Red Bull youngster Pierre Gasly tested for the senior squad, having driven the Toro Rosso on Tuesday, and set the third best time, despite stopping at the pit exit during the […]