Haas team boss Guenther Steiner has revealed he turned down an approach from Pascal Wehrlein over a potential seat in 2020.
The American outfit is currently deciding between two drivers, publicly at least, with a decision between Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg yet to be made.
However, that didn’t stop the former Manor and Sauber driver, who is currently a Mahindra Formula E racer and works in the simulator at Ferrari, from throwing his name in the hat.
“He’s been out of Formula 1 for two years now,” Steiner noted to German podcast Starting Grid as quoted by PlanetF1.
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“He was at the track a few races ago and he came to visit me and asked me if there was a possibility.
“I said: ‘unfortunately not.’ For the reason that he wasn’t in Formula 1 for two years. We want someone who has experience and has been in F1 for a long time.”
Given Wehrlein’s current links to Ferrari and also as a past Mercedes junior, the 24-year-old could have been a big scoop for Haas but ultimately, that is their loss.
As it is, Hulkenberg appears to be their only consideration other than sticking with Grosjean but even then the issue of meeting the financial demands of the current Renault driver could be a factor.
“I don’t want to discuss Nico’s finances – whether he has enough money, whether he wants more. That’s for him to decide,” asserted Steiner.
“It’s not just about finances and the last race. For us it’s more about the team: What have we achieved, what do we want to achieve?”