Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko hasn’t exactly quelled speculation that Pascal Wehrlein could be drafted in to replace Brendon Hartley this season.
The rumours are arising as the New Zealander continues to struggle for results with just a solitary 10th place to his name in Baku after making the transition from WEC late last year, replacing current Renault driver Carlos Sainz.
Former Manor and Sauber driver Wehrlein is seen as a strong option, with many believing the German, who is also part of Mercedes’ young driver program, deserves to be on the Formula 1 grid.
Reports had suggested he could be in the junior team as soon as Canada alongside Pierre Gasly but that was a claim Marko denied.
“That’s not the intention at the moment,” he told Auto Motor und Sport clearly suggesting that doesn’t mean a change isn’t been considered.
Now Wehrlein is racing with Mercedes in their final year as part of the DTM grid, a championship he won in 2015, but is thought to have a clause allowing him to leave if an opportunity in F1 re-arises.
And though the technical feedback and race pace Hartley possesses are considered an asset to Toro Rosso, if he doesn’t start contributing to the points tally in the frenetic midfield battle, he already knows how harsh Marko and the Red Bull environment is.