New Manor Racing driver Pascal Wehrlein believes that Manor Racing will be able to compete for points finishes in 2016.
The 21-year-old from Sigmaringen, Germany was announced as one of Manor's drivers for the upcoming season leaving just one more seat left to be filled on the grid, with the other being the second Manor seat.
The team also confirmed that Wehrlein would also take part in both pre-season tests at the Circuit de Catalunya, Spain in the MRT05 ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March.
Manor, formally Virgin Racing and Marussia, have only scored points once in Formula One, a 9th place finish in Monaco for the late Jules Bianchi in 2014, as they prepare to enter their seventh F1 season.
However the current DTM World Champion is confident of a positive season, " Although it’s my first F1 season my aim is to help Stephen and the guys achieve their goals. It will be a tough challenge but I think we should be able to challenge for points along the way.
"Manor Racing is a great place for me to start my Formula One racing career, now it’s down to me to grab the moment and perform on track.”
The 21-year-old from Sigmaringen, Germany was announced as one of Manor's drivers for the upcoming season leaving just one more seat left to be filled on the grid, with the other being the second Manor seat.
The team also confirmed that Wehrlein would also take part in both pre-season tests at the Circuit de Catalunya, Spain in the MRT05 ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March.
Manor, formally Virgin Racing and Marussia, have only scored points once in Formula One, a 9th place finish in Monaco for the late Jules Bianchi in 2014, as they prepare to enter their seventh F1 season.
However the current DTM World Champion is confident of a positive season, " Although it’s my first F1 season my aim is to help Stephen and the guys achieve their goals. It will be a tough challenge but I think we should be able to challenge for points along the way.
"Manor Racing is a great place for me to start my Formula One racing career, now it’s down to me to grab the moment and perform on track.”
Wehrlein's optimism is helped by the steps forward Manor will make in 2016 with the team now using the Mercedes-Benz power unit, compared to the 2014 Ferrari unit they ran in 2015. The team will also have access to Mercedes' wind tunnel to help them with aerodynamic gains to their chassis.
Having been backmarkers for the last six seasons Manor Racing’s owner Stephen Fitzpatrick hopes that the 21-year-old can give the team the boost it needs, " Manor Racing is perfectly placed to help Pascal make a big impact in his first season.
"We’re a small team up for a big challenge this season, so we’ve chosen a driver with the talent and hunger to match our own on-track ambitions.
"Pascal has impressed in testing for Mercedes and Force India, together with commanding performances in DTM, culminating in the championship win last year, Manor Racing is excited to have him aboard."
Having been backmarkers for the last six seasons Manor Racing’s owner Stephen Fitzpatrick hopes that the 21-year-old can give the team the boost it needs, " Manor Racing is perfectly placed to help Pascal make a big impact in his first season.
"We’re a small team up for a big challenge this season, so we’ve chosen a driver with the talent and hunger to match our own on-track ambitions.
"Pascal has impressed in testing for Mercedes and Force India, together with commanding performances in DTM, culminating in the championship win last year, Manor Racing is excited to have him aboard."