DTM – Paffett: “People will see a different Wehrlein than in 2015”

Not renewed at Sauber F1 Team for 2018, Pascal Wehrlein will remain in the fold Mercedes with an F1 reserve driver place, and will return to the championship DTM where the native of Sigmaringen was crowned in 2015 before attempting the adventure in F1.

The German will reunite with several of his former teammates during his title year, starting with Gary Paffett. The experienced British driver believes that the move to the premier discipline will have profoundly changed Wehrlein, then the youngest driver to be titled in German touring.

“I have known Pascal since he joined the DTM and have stayed in touch with him over the last two years as he was still part of the Mercedes family, says Paffett. He grew up a lot being in F1.

He was still very young when he won the DTM championship, and there was a lot of pressure on his shoulders. There were also incidents that didn't help him.

But he admitted to himself that he has changed a lot in the last two years, and I think he is more complete and complete than he was when he won the championship. I think people are going to see a different Pascal from the one who left at the end of 2015. »

Mercedes will compete in its final season in DTM this year before leaving the discipline and turning to Formula E in parallel with the Mercedes-AMG program in F1. In addition to Paffett and Wehrlein, the star brand has renewed Lucas Auer, Edoardo Mortara and Paul di Resta, while recalling the Spaniard Daniel Juncadella to complete its 2018 line-up.