Formula 1: Pascal Wehrlein rejected by Haas in pursuit of 2020 seat
By Asher Fair
Haas have not confirmed their driver lineup for the 2020 Formula 1 season, but they turned down ex-Formula 1 driver Pascal Wehrlein when he approached them about being one of their two drivers.
Haas are one of the five teams that have not yet confirmed their driver lineup for the 2020 Formula 1 season, and they are one of the four teams with just one open seat remaining.
Kevin Magnussen signed a contract extension ahead of the 2019 season, his third season with the sport’s lone American team, to keep him within the newest team on the grid through the 2020 season, but the 26-year-old Dane stands alone in that he has been confirmed on their driver lineup for next season.
With team principal Guenther Steiner having ruled out signing a rookie for next season, eliminating reserve and test driver Pietro Fittipaldi from the discussion, it has appeared as though their decision will come down to Romain Grosjean, who has driven for the team since their inception in the 2016 season, and Nico Hulkenberg.
Renault announced that Hulkenberg will be replaced Esteban Ocon for the 2020 season after Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport re-signed Valtteri Bottas instead of Ocon, who serves as Mercedes’ reserve and test driver.
Further illustrating that this decision is set to come down to the 33-year-old Frenchman and the 32-year-old German is the fact that ex-Formula 1 driver Pascal Wehrlein approached the team about landing a ride with them for the 2020 season and was rejected.
Here is what Steiner had to say about the matter, according to Motorsport.
"“He’s been out of Formula 1 for two years now. He was at the track a few races ago and he came to visit me and asked me if there was a possibility. I said: ‘unfortunately not.’ For the reason that he wasn’t in Formula 1 for two years. We want someone who has experience and has been in F1 for a long time.”"
Wehrlein previously competed in Formula 1 in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He drove for Manor Racing MRT in the 2016 season before moving to Sauber for the 2017 season.
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In both seasons, he was responsible for scoring 100% of his team’s points. He scored one point in the 2016 season with a 10th place finish in the Austrian Grand Prix before scoring five points in the 2017 season with an eighth place finish in the Spanish Grand Prix and a 10th place finish in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Since being replaced by Charles Leclerc, who now drives for Scuderia Ferrari, at Sauber ahead of the 2018 season, the 24-year-old German has competed in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), of which he was the champion in the 2015 season, and Formula E.
He finished in eighth place in the 2018 DTM championship standings driving for Mercedes with one podium finish in 20 races and 12th in the 2018-2019 Formula E driver standings driving for Mahindra Racing with one podium finish in 12 races.
Wehrlein served as a Formula 1 test driver for Mercedes from the 2014 season through the 2016 season and then again in the 2018 season, and he also test drove for Sahara Force India (now SportPesa Racing Point) in the 2015 season. He currently serves as a Ferrari test driver.
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With Pascal Wehrlein in and out of the mix regarding Haas’ 2020 Formula 1 driver lineup in a very short amount of time, who will they end up signing to pair with Kevin Magnussen for next year?