Pascal Wehrlein has played down reports that he could be switching to Formula E in order to keep his motorsport career alive.
Pascal Wehrlein rules out a Formula E move
This follows Sergio Marchionne’s statement which revealed that the Sauber F1 Team could become a junior team to Ferrari. This would see the installation of a Ferrari-backed driver in the form of either Antonio Giovinazzi or Charles Leclerc, although Giovinazzi is supposedly the preferred candidate, thus pushing Wehrlein out of the team.
While some reports have suggested that Wehrlein could make a return to the DTM series, others have suggested that a switch to Formula E could be on the cards for the German driver due to Mercedes’ withdrawal from the prior series to enter into the latter.
“I got a message shortly before the announcement as I know some people at HWA. I think it’s not a simple situation,” said the German when talking about Mercedes looming departure from the DTM which is scheduled for next year.
Wehrlein also ruled out a move to Formula E: “I like noise, performance and fuel. I cannot even imagine racing in Formula E.”
Despite ruling out a switch to the all-electric single seater racing series, a switch to the championship could be a good move for Wehrlein due to its growing popularity with BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche recently announcing entries in 2018 and 2019.
Sergio Marchionne also admitted to talking about Formula E: “I have been speaking about Formula E with Toto Wolff, but I cannot imagine Ferrari going straight there.”
Marchionne did admit however, that another manufacturer could join the series: “But we are considering entering a brand of the FCA [Fiat Chrysler], although which brand has not yet been determined.” Whether this will be Alfa Romeo, Maserati, or another team, it will certainly be an interesting development for Formula E.
Amidst all of this, Toto Wolff told Wehrlein to keep his head up although his future in Formula 1 has been cast into a shadow of doubt. “There are many movements on the market,” said Wolff. “In the next two weeks, a few interesting things could happen.”
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