Pascal Wehrlein arrives at the Red Bull Ring this weekend with fond memories of the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix, with the German having scored his first point in Formula 1 at the venue twelve months ago whilst driving for Manor Racing MRT.
The Mercedes-Benz-protégé, now racing for the Sauber F1 Team, had an excellent weekend at Spielberg last year, qualifying twelfth and racing then-Williams Martini Racing driver Valtteri Bottas to the chequered flag.
Wehrlein is hopeful that the experience from twelfth months ago and the subsequent knowledge he has built up in his career so far will benefit him this weekend.
“The circuit in Spielberg will always be very special to me, because I scored my very first World Championship point there last season,” said Wehrlein. “I really look forward to going back into this race with more experience under my belt, and hope to perform well again.”
Team-mate Marcus Ericsson has yet to secure a point in 2017, with Wehrlein having scored all five of Sauber’s points so far, and the Swede is interested to see how close everyone will be around one of the shortest tracks on the calendar.
“The track in Spielberg is one of the shortest on the calendar,” said Ericsson. “I expect this to influence the gaps between lap-times, which will be interesting to see.
!It is not the most technical track, which will make it essential for us to aim for a perfect lap in qualifying. The fans there are usually spectacular, and I look forward to seeing them again this year.”
