Pascal Wehrlein is readying himself for his Formula 1 debut this weekend at the Albert Park circuit in Australia, and believes that apart from his homeland there is no better place to make his bow in the sport.
The German driver will be racing for Manor Racing during the 2016 season after a year of being test driver for the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS team, as well as becoming the youngest ever DTM Series champion last year.
“It’s an amazing city and I can’t think of a better place to be making my debut,” said Wehrlein. “Apart from Germany of course; that would have been quite good.
“I’ve been to Melbourne before, as Reserve for Mercedes, so I know the place pretty well. That’s good, because there won’t be much time for sight-seeing this year!
“I’ve had a run around the Park and the track already with my new trainer. After that, the track will be home for the rest of the week.”
Wehrlein and Manor enjoyed a relatively strong pre-season testing programme at the Circuit de Catalunya, and is looking to make the most of his Australian Grand Prix this weekend.
“[I’m] more than ready. I can’t wait,” insisted Wehrlein. “It’s been too long since we tested and I think every break between races is going to feel a lot like that now.
“We covered pretty much everything in testing so I feel as prepared as I can be ahead of FP1. There’s still a lot to learn though and I want to take as much as I can from every single experience – in and out of the car – so I can make it better and better.”
“I’m going to give it my very best shot and that’s the most I can do. Then we’ll see where we get to. It’s too early to make any predictions.
“We need to wait and see where the car is in qualifying. In the meantime I’ll be focusing on my own performance.”
