Former Sauber Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn believes Pascal Wehrlein still has the ability to become Formula 1 world champion despite having lost his seat on the grid for 2018.
The young German will be replaced by Charles Leclerc at the Swiss team after only joining for 2017 as a convenience following the collapse of Manor in January. However, after being considered a future star following his strong year with the backmarker team, becoming the only driver other Jules Bianchi to score a point when he finished 10th in Austria, his stock has since fallen significantly.
Force India chose Esteban Ocon over the 2015 DTM champion to replace Nico Hulkenberg and at Sauber, the political situation, which saw Kaltenborn leave in June over disagreements with the owners, led to claims of favouritism towards Marcus Ericsson, with Wehrlein’s initial good results faltering.
Nevertheless, F1’s first female team boss, who knew more than anyone about the internal situation at the Hinwil-based team, believes what the 23-year-old managed, including an impressive eighth place in Spain, shouldn’t be forgotten.
“I think his performance in 2017 is still not properly appreciated,” Kaltenborn was quoted by F1i.com. “Without him, the team would have scored no points at all.”
Though a slim chance at the Williams seat remains, where he links with Mercedes may help, it does seem as though Wehrlein won’t be on the grid next year and for his former boss that would be a waste of a talent.
“I just hope that he will continue to get what he deserves in F1, which above all else is a cockpit,” she said “Pascal has the potential to become world champion with the right team. Anyone who has worked with him knows that.”