Sauber F1 Team may be celebrating their 25th year in the sport but Pascal Wehrlein is also excited about it being the start of a new chapter within his racing career.
Wehrlein joins Sauber following a season at the now defunct Manor Racing MRT.
“The Australian Grand Prix will be very special for me and also for the Sauber F1 Team,” he said. “It is the beginning of my new role as a Formula One race driver in the Swiss team, and I am sure when those five lights go out it will be a unique moment on the race day.”
He may have missed half of testing but Wehrlein considers his preparations adequate enough to have become familiar with the C36.
“During the second week of pre-season testing I had productive days, where I was able to get quite familiar with the Sauber C36-Ferrari procedures,” he added. “After intense physical preparations in the last few weeks I am excited about going to Melbourne, and I feel ready and well-prepared for the challenging season opener.
“It looks promising at the moment for me, but we never know until we get to Melbourne. I have full trust in our teamwork.”
Wehrlein’s tyre choices for the season opener in Melbourne are identical to his team-mate Marcus Ericsson’s; 2 soft, 4 supersoft and 7 ultrasoft.