The beautiful promises of Pascal Wehrlein and Manor F1
The excellent first part of the race by Pascal Wehrlein (16th at the finish) suggests an interesting season for the Manor team. Rio Haryanto's race, on the other hand, was prematurely halted at the time of the interruption due to a transmission problem.
For his first start in Formula 1, the 2015 DTM Champion didn’t rest on his laurels, climbing seven places! He will certainly remember such a start for a long time: “First of all, it’s a nice feeling to finish my first Formula 1 race, and I must thank my team for that. I had a fantastic start to move up to 15th position by the end of the first lap.”
The rest was nevertheless more delicate for the young German: “Things went less well for me after my first stop, which was made just before the red flag. Our plan was indeed to start the race with a short stint on Super Softs before switching to Soft tires, which ultimately worked against us given that most of the other drivers didn’t stop. After that, we struggled with tire degradation, I couldn’t do everything I wanted. Then I had brake issues until the end of the Grand Prix, so I had to be extra cautious. We learned a lot this weekend. We must now push hard to continue improving.”
However, he will remember the warm welcome he received from the other drivers, particularly from Sebastian Vettel, as shown in this image:
Warm welcome to Formula 1! pic.twitter.com/X1jMZMvd44
— Pascal Wehrlein (@PWehrlein) March 20, 2016
The first Grand Prix experience of his teammate, however, ended prematurely. Rio Haryanto shared his thoughts: “My race was short but very positive. I had a good start, my pace was quick, and I was happy with managing my gap with the cars fighting in front of me. I’m disappointed not to have finished my first Grand Prix but I know the team is as disappointed as I am. But I am sure we will have a better weekend for Bahrain.”
“It was a weekend of mixed emotions, from which we must learn. My start to the weekend was really special, and the support I received here and in Indonesia was incredible. I hope to bring a better reward to everyone by Bahrain,” concluded the Indonesian.
