19/12/2016
NEWS STORY
Pascal Wehrlein admits he still has much to work on including his off-track performance.
With Mercedes now delaying its decision on who will replace Nico Rosberg until January, and Williams now signalling that it is amicable to the German team approaching Valtteri Bottas, Pascal Wehrlein's chances of taking the second Silver Arrows seat are beginning to look a little slim.
The German, who was snubbed by Force India in preference to his Manor teammate, Esteban Ocon, never really convinced in his debut season, certainly on a regular basis.
While Rio Haryanto gave him a run for his money, it was the arrival of Ocon at Manor that appeared to give the German a boost, certainly in terms of improving his qualifying performances.
While the exact reasons for the Force India snub are unclear, Wehrlein says it didn't relate to his ability in the cockpit, rather his performance outside the car in terms of feedback and gelling with the team.
The German believes that part of the problem was that he came to F1 straight from DTM, where the off-track demands are not the same.
"I learned a lot on track but there's also a lot to learn off the track," he told Autosport. "Probably I was underrating that.
"In terms of driving, there were so many new tracks for me," he continued, "the tyres were new for me, Pirelli tyres, and a new team so there were so many things for me to learn.
"But now on track I'm 100% sure that everything is getting better and easier," he insisted. "From the first to the second year the step is always the biggest step you make in your career. Off the track I will try more and I'm sure I can improve something as well."
The youngster reveals that Mercedes is still helping him with that aspect of his career.
"Mercedes is still supporting me a lot and I'm very grateful for that," he said. "I'm also grateful for the opportunity this year that they gave me with Manor and also the Pirelli tests. It's really nice to see that Mercedes has a big trust in me and supporting me and I will try to give that back."
Other than the seat alongside Lewis Hamilton at Brackley, it is understood Sauber is interested, while Manor is also keeping his seat warm.