Why Mercedes' Pascal Wehrlein Was the Right Choice for Manor in 2016

It has been a relatively quiet Formula One offseason, at least in terms of driver movement, with eight of the 10 teams from last year opting to retain their 2015 race lineups.

This week, though, Manor Racing announced that Mercedes reserve driver and current DTM champion Pascal Wehrlein will fill one of their 2016 race seats. That leaves just one more seat (also at Manor) up for grabs.

Manor are a small team with a small budget and, as such, cannot go out and sign any driver they want. In F1, particularly with smaller teams, the fastest drivers do not always get the race seats—often, the determining factor is the amount of sponsorship a driver can bring.

By signing Wehrlein, though, Manor have found the right balance between speed and money.

Wehrlein is obviously quick. He took the DTM (German touring car) title last year, turning 21 on the final day of the season. Other than F1 testing, his last single-seater experience came in 2012 and 2013, where he impressed in Formula Three, finishing second in the 2012 F3 Euro Series.

But perhaps the biggest testament to the young German's speed is the fact that back-to-back champions Mercedes have employed him as their reserve driver, the man who would step into that race-winning car should Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg ever be unfit to drive.

So he is fast, but what about the money?

Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff has been working on a deal with Manor for several months. Last December, Wolff told Autosport's Ian Parkes he thought Wehrlein deserved to race in F1, but mentioned, "I understand there are commercial constraints Manor is facing, that there is this financial reality, so you can't force it."

The financial reality, according to F1 journalist Joe Saward, is that Manor wanted $15 million for each race seat.

Of course, Mercedes had another bargaining chip aside from straight cash. This year, Manor are switching to Mercedes power units, which must give the German company some leverage when dealing with owner Stephen Fitzpatrick.

Interestingly, Parkes reported for Autosport that the Wehrlein deal is worth €5 million to €6 million to Manor, making no mention of a discount on the engine supply, but saying that the team will have access to Mercedes' wind tunnel.

With the best engines in the field and whatever aerodynamic gains can be made using a top-of-the-line wind tunnel, Manor could be poised to make up any shortfall from what Wehrlein's seat was worth on the open market in prize money over the next few years.

Remember, teams need to finish in the top 10 of the constructors' championship every year to ensure they continue to receive prize money (the payout system is partly based on a three-year rolling average, though). With Haas joining the sport this year, Manor will need to score some points to ensure they continue getting those cheques from F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone.

Sure, Fitzpatrick could have sold the seat to Rio Haryanto for €15 million—and he may yet do so with the second race seat—but the Wehrlein signing shows a refreshing willingness to make decisions based on what is best for the race team rather than current financial needs.

Manor would be wise to use the same principles in determining their second driver for 2016. Haryanto has the cash, but he has been relatively unimpressive in four seasons of GP2. Fellow Manor hopeful Alexander Rossi has beaten Haryanto in each of the three full seasons they have raced against each other (one in GP3, two in GP2).

Rossi also impressed during his five races for Manor last season, finishing ahead of team-mate Will Stevens in four of them.

Clive Rose/Getty Images

"Things are looking positive and hopefully we get it done very soon," Rossi told Sky Sports recently.

Wehrlein and Rossi behind the wheel of a Mercedes-powered car would give Manor the best chance for success in 2016. Of course, success at Manor will be measured on a different scale than at most other teams. The Banbury-based team has just one points-scoring finish in six years. 

A top-10 finish in the constructors' standings this year, despite the arrival of Haas, would be a great result for Manor.

"It will be a tough challenge but I think we should be able to challenge for points along the way. It's going to be good fun," said Wehrlein, per a team press release.

If Manor are ever going to make the jump into the midfield, this is the year. They cannot afford to waste the opportunity by not taking the best drivers available. This is not the time to take the money and run.

With Wehrlein, Manor made the right choice, tying themselves even more closely to the dominant Mercedes team. Will their choice for the second race seat be as inspired as the first?

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