Formula 1 drivers have a limited window to show they can make it F1. Pascal Wehrlein knows that all too well. So how did a can’t-miss star flame out in F1?
In 2015, it seemed that the next Formula 1 superstar was a 20-year-old German named Pascal Wehrlein, who was also in Mercedes’ stable of drivers having driven for the Mercedes-backed HWA Team in 2014 and was named a Mercedes F1 test driver that year.
When it was revealed that the young German was mentored by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, it seemed pre-destined that the powerhouse German F1 team was going to add Wehrlein eventually.
At the conclusion of 2015, Wehrlein had a DTM championship to his name and was a regular in F1 practices and tests for Mercedes and Force India, a Mercedes engine customer.
Going into the 2016 season, Wehrlein was the talk of the paddock, as there was significant talk about the German going to Force India in preparation for an eventual move up to Mercedes. It didn’t happen. Instead, the 20-year-old went to Manor Racing in 2016.
Wehrlein’s Manor campaign was mixed. While he scored his first F1 points in Austria and regularly beat his teammate Rio Haryanto, five retirements, including three when Esteban Ocon took over for Haryanto after the summer break, may have derailed Wehrlein’s F1 outlook. An offseason injury at the Race of Champions certainly didn’t help.
In 2017, now with Sauber, Wehrlein missed the first two races of 2017 while recovering from the the injuries he suffered in the Race of Champions. Last-minute substitute driver Antonio Giovinazzi proceeded to almost beat Marcus Ericsson in qualifying in Australia, leading some pundits to wonder about Wehrlein’s necessity.
When Wehrlein came back, he performed well considering the year-old Ferrari engine in the Sauber. He kept the car on the track and in one piece, unlike his replacement. In addition, he scored points in Spain and Azerbaijan while limiting his retirements to three.
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Yet Wehrlein is without an F1 drive in 2018, and he is preparing for a DTM return in Mercedes’ DTM swan song season. How and why? There are multiple parties at fault for this. Mercedes, Wolff, and Wehrlein himself are among them.
When Nico Rosberg suddenly retired at the end of 2016, it was thought by many in the paddock that Wehrlein was the leading candidate to secure the seat. All signs pointed to it — he was a Mercedes junior, he was mentored by Wolff, he scored points in an underwhelming Manor car and he was faster than his teammate. However, Mercedes pinched the Wolff-managed driver when they signed Valtteri Bottas from Williams replace Rosberg. What should have been a dream match never happened.
While Wolff continues to praise Wehrlein and is adamant about the German’s F1 potential by keeping him involved within Mercedes, a 2019 Mercedes seat probably won’t go to Wehrlein. As it stands, the team believes that other Mercedes juniors Ocon and George Russell show more potential than Wehrlein. It is believed that if Bottas is not resigned, the choice for Mercedes will be Ocon.
Wehrlein isn’t helping his cause by criticizing Force India for choosing Ocon over him at the end of 2016, either. That potentially turned off some teams, including Mercedes. Even while Wehrlein was a minor contender for Felipe Massa’s Williams seat, he did little to separate himself from Robert Kubica or eventual Williams’ selectee Sergey Sirotkin.
In modern-day F1, drivers get one shot — perform and stay or fail and leave. Wehrlein is a mix. His Sauber performances, especially in Spain and Azerbaijan, should have vaulted him toward some teams in need of a driver for 2019 or the Williams seat, but with Mercedes keen on other juniors, his mentor doing more talking than producing viable opportunities, and Wehrlein doing little to differentiate himself, the rise and fall of Wehrlein’s F1 career has been swift.
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The now 23-year-old should refocus in 2018 if there’s any chance for a Formula One comeback in 2019, or he should look toward the World Endurance Championship. He may not be the next Michael Schumacher or Sebastian Vettel, but there’s nothing wrong with becoming the next André Lotterer.