Wehrlein gets Manor seat

Mercedes protégé and 2015 DTM champion Pascal Wehrlein has been confirmed as Manor Racing's first contracted driver for 2016.

It is reported from Germany that talks between Mercedes, which will be supplying its power unit to Manor this year, and the British team reached a successful conclusion.

Speculation lately had been pointing to the 21-year-old moving up into the big time with Manor although Mercedes had been it clear that it was not willing to extend its financial support for its young hopeful beyond a certain point.

"Manor Racing is a great place for me to start my Formula 1 racing career - I'm very pleased to be here," said Wehrlein.

"It's a small and totally focused team and I soon hope to know everyone. Though it's my first F1 season my aim is to help [owner] Stephen [Fitzpatrick] 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. It's going to be good fun."

Since late 2014, Mercedes has been honing its young driver's talent by awarding Wehrlein track time at a series of F1 tests with its works team as well as with Force India.

Wehrlein naturally expressed his gratitude towards Mercedes for the manufacturer's backing.

"A word for my racing family at Mercedes-Benz, and particularly for Toto [Wolff], who have guided my career this far and made this opportunity possible.

"Thanks for the incredible support to help me achieve my dream; now it's down to me to grab the moment and perform on track."

With the German now secured as one of its drivers, Manor Racing still has the very last F1 race seat available for 2016, with Alexander Rossi, Will Stevens and Malaysian hopeful Rio Haryanto all vying for the drive.

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