(Mercedes AMG F1 Team)
The Mercedes AMG F1 Team announced this afternoon that DTM race winner Pascal Wehrlein has joined the Brackley based outfit as their official test and reserve driver and will travel to this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix in his role with the championship leaders.
The 19 year old has been part of the Mercedes F1 Team for a while and has completed more then 30 days in the Mercedes F1 simulator completing a total of 12,000 KM in a virtual F1 W05 Hybrid.
Last Thursday 11th September, the German completed his first ever run in a Formula One car when he completed 109 laps in the 2012 Mercedes W03 chassis which was a distance of 500 KM at the circuit Autodromo Internacional Algarve in Portimao. Speaking about the news Wehrlein commented:
'I was delighted when I learned that I would be completing a Formula One test for Mercedes AMG Petronas in Portimao. 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. But I adapted quickly and was able to improve in each of my short and long runs.'
He went on to say:
'In total, I drove 500 km and didn't want to head back into 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 was very encouraging and I think that I did a good job. It certainly helped that I have been working hard in the simulator since February.'
Mercedes Motorsport boss Toto Wolff commented:
'We are delighted to officially welcome Pascal to the team following a 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 and Lewis, he is the driver most familiar with all the procedures of our F1 W05 Hybrid and therefore is 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 Lausitring in the DTM, making 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.'
'We are delighted to officially welcome Pascal to the team following a 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 and Lewis, he is the driver most familiar with all the procedures of our F1 W05 Hybrid and therefore is 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 Lausitring in the DTM, making 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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