Wehrlein set to sign for Sauber in 2017

While many rumors have speculated about the identity of the driver chosen to replace Nico Rosberg, a decisive step seems to have been taken today. Indeed, Pascal Wehrlein, third Mercedes driver, is said to have reached an agreement with Sauber to take the second seat alongside Marcus Ericsson next season.

Mercedes reportedly chose to place its driver at Sauber rather than within its own structure. The reasons for this choice mainly stem from Wehrlein’s lack of experience, making him somewhat unprepared to face a driver like Lewis Hamilton. The risk was then having to manage a difficult situation in case of the Briton’s domination and any potential overzealousness it might cause in Pascal Wehrlein.

Although it is not official, this agreement brings Valtteri Bottas closer to the reigning triple world champion team, as he already molded his seat at the team’s headquarters on December 20th. This departure has already been negotiated with Williams, who chose to bring Felipe Massa out of retirement before it even began. The British team is looking for an experienced driver to develop the car and support the young Lance Stroll, appointed for 2017.

The details of the contract will be revealed in the coming days once the teams involved have agreed to make coordinated announcements to avoid putting anyone in an uncomfortable situation.

This means that there are only two seats left to fill in Formula 1 for 2017, both at Manor, which is also in the process of being bought by an investor whose identity is uncertain. The three leading candidates for these last spots are Esteban Gutiérrez, Felipe Nasr, and Rio Haryanto. The budgets these drivers can gather will be crucial, as the team lost the tenth place in the championship at the end of the season, along with the associated prize money.