Pascal Wehrlein has admitted that he has already surpassed his expectations for the 2017 season. Due to a back injury suffered at the Race of Champions in January, the German missed the opening two rounds of the season and watched Antonio Giovinazzi race his car at Australia and China.
However, he made his return in Bahrain and has been in full swing ever since. He scored his first points of the season in Spain, taking home four points and grabbing Sauber's first top 10 finish since the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2016.
Goals achieved
Wehrlein revealed that his season goal for this season was to achieve more points than he did in 2016: "Everybody is pretty happy. The situation is quite difficult for us, but since Bahrain, it has been nice for me. My goal was to score more points than last year and I have already succeeded. I made a disappointing mistake in qualifying in Canada, but apart from that, I've qualified for Q2 twice and scored four points. That's good news."
"I could not do anything about the accident with Jenson Button in Monaco. In your second season at this level, you are still learning an awful lot, especially if you've moved in winter to another team. Each team has its own rhythm and its own way of working. You have to you to adapt again and constantly insert new things."
Wehrlein is a junior driver for Mercedes and was in contention for the 2017 seat at the team when Nico Rosberg retired. When asked if he considers himself ready for a shot at Mercedes, Wehrlein replied without hesitation: "Yes. I want to and I can say little else to about it just in case they need me."
Looking forward to Baku
The German also admitted he is looking forward to jumping back into the cockpit this weekend: "I am really looking forward to getting back into the car in Baku. Last year′s race weekend in Azerbaijan was quite interesting for all of us, because it was the first time that a Formula 1 GP took place there. Finding the suitable car set-up for this track was a challenge to all of the teams. Due to the layout of the track, top speed and traction are the key factors for success."
Fergal Walsh
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Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
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He's done quite well, definitely looking at a top drive soon