Pascal Wehrlein and Mercedes announce split
Pascal Wehrlein is no longer a Mercedes driver, as he and the team mutually decided to part ways. Any fresh drivers' marketing rumours coming up?
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Pascal Werhlein and Mercedes are parting ways, as the team has announced earlier today. The German driver is no longer part of the programme, after winning the DTM title back in 2015 and competing two F1 season.
In these hectic days, where most of the drivers took part in the discussion concerning the drivers' market, all of them agree that F1 is all about timing. This certainly did not work out with Wehrlein, who found himself without a Formula 1 seat despite receiving Mercedes' support, which resembles Esteban Ocon's current situation.
"My contract with Mercedes expires at the end of the 2018 season and we have jointly decided not to continue further together. I am looking for new challenges and opportunities, and am currently talking to other teams about a cockpit for next season." said the German.
"I am very grateful for all the support Mercedes has offered me - from my first meeting with Gerhard Ungar and Norbert Haug in 2012, to the decision with Toto to join DTM instead of F3 in 2013, through to my title in 2015; it was a dream come true for a kid who drew up an hour from Stuttgart."
"That opened the door to Formula 1, first with Manor and then Sauber; the points I scored with both teams were huge moments. Thank you to everybody in Stuttgart, Affalterbach and Brackley who has supported me along the way. And now it's time to take the next step."
Toto Wolff commented: "Our junior programme has always been about supporting young talent and finding opportunities that are in the best interests of the drivers' careers. It is not always a straight path to the top - and sometimes we have to recognise that it is the right time to end a relationship, too.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't offer Pascal a competitive drive for next year. In his best interests, we have therefore decided together with Pascal not to extend our agreement and to give him the best chance of securing an opportunity elsewhere that his talent merits. We want to thank him for his fantastic performances for Mercedes-Benz in recent years and wish him all the best for the future."
Wehrlein has recently been spotted in the F1 paddock, wearing his Mercedes uniform. The timing of his release from the Stuttgart-based team might suggest that he took part in negotiations with non-Mercedes-backed teams and wanted to appear more appealing on the market.
We will see how this goes, and of course, how the Ocon epopee evolves.
In these hectic days, where most of the drivers took part in the discussion concerning the drivers' market, all of them agree that F1 is all about timing. This certainly did not work out with Wehrlein, who found himself without a Formula 1 seat despite receiving Mercedes' support, which resembles Esteban Ocon's current situation.
"My contract with Mercedes expires at the end of the 2018 season and we have jointly decided not to continue further together. I am looking for new challenges and opportunities, and am currently talking to other teams about a cockpit for next season." said the German.
"I am very grateful for all the support Mercedes has offered me - from my first meeting with Gerhard Ungar and Norbert Haug in 2012, to the decision with Toto to join DTM instead of F3 in 2013, through to my title in 2015; it was a dream come true for a kid who drew up an hour from Stuttgart."
"That opened the door to Formula 1, first with Manor and then Sauber; the points I scored with both teams were huge moments. Thank you to everybody in Stuttgart, Affalterbach and Brackley who has supported me along the way. And now it's time to take the next step."
Toto Wolff commented: "Our junior programme has always been about supporting young talent and finding opportunities that are in the best interests of the drivers' careers. It is not always a straight path to the top - and sometimes we have to recognise that it is the right time to end a relationship, too.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't offer Pascal a competitive drive for next year. In his best interests, we have therefore decided together with Pascal not to extend our agreement and to give him the best chance of securing an opportunity elsewhere that his talent merits. We want to thank him for his fantastic performances for Mercedes-Benz in recent years and wish him all the best for the future."
Wehrlein has recently been spotted in the F1 paddock, wearing his Mercedes uniform. The timing of his release from the Stuttgart-based team might suggest that he took part in negotiations with non-Mercedes-backed teams and wanted to appear more appealing on the market.
We will see how this goes, and of course, how the Ocon epopee evolves.