Sauber has rejected claims Pascal Wehrlein could miss the start of F1 testing due to his Race of Champions injury as “speculation”.
However they confirmed their new driver is still undergoing medical tests, understood to involve his neck, after being injured in a crash involving Felipe Massa at the Race of Champions last month.
“Current rumours about Pascal Wehrlein in the media: The medical examinations are still ongoing,” the team announced in a statement on social media on Monday. “Therefore, the reports are pure speculations. We will provide information in due time.”
The Mercedes junior driver joined Sauber from Manor at the end of last season. He had to miss the second day of the Race of Champions in Miami after making contact with Massa’s car and rolling his Polaris Slingshot three-wheeler at the end of a race. Wehrlein was carrying a passenger at the time who was uninjured.
Wehrlein’s absence from the Nations Cup competition left Sebastian Vettel as Germany’s sole representative. Vettel went on to win the tournament, confirming Germany as champions, despite having to drive all of the team’s races.
Sauber are due to launch their 2017 car, the C36, on Wednesday 22nd February. Testing begins five days after that at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The 2017 grand prix season will be the second full Formula One campaign for the 2015 DTM champion.
Get all the 2017 F1 race, test and launch dates on your mobile device using the F1 Fanatic Calendar
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HK (@me4me)
6th February 2017, 20:08
After his crash he looked fine. Of course injury can reveal itself only at a latter stage, but I doubt he will mis Australia. I expect Sauber to be cautious and maybe employ one of the Ferrari junior/development/reserve/test drivers for pre-season testing. Vergne would be a perfect candidate.
Andre (@lheela)
7th February 2017, 6:21
IIRK Vergne is no longer with Ferrari.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
6th February 2017, 21:01
The fact he has a neck injury is a worry because the new aerodynamic rules will mean higher G force loadings on the neck. Some sporting codes have mandatory stand down periods for certain injuries.
Hugh (@hugh11)
6th February 2017, 21:19
Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s why they’re being especially cautious with this. They can’t be sure exactly how much more pressure will be put onto the drivers neck, hence their concern with him.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
7th February 2017, 2:20
@drycrust I hope it’s just that, precaution and bureaucracy.
Pascal got up immediately the pictures don’t lie though.
Martin
7th February 2017, 9:00
Which is about as relevant as the spelling of his surname. A couple of weeks ago I was taken off the road by a truck. In the immediate hours I felt fine but from about 6 hours afterwards until today I have suffered neck and lower back pain. All him getting up showed was that nothing was broken.
anon
7th February 2017, 20:02
Martin, even then, it is not impossible that he could have fractured something and only later found that he had injured himself more severely than first thought.
Remember when Davidson climbed out of his Toyota TS030 at Le Mans a few years despite having fractured two of his vertebrae when he crashed out of the race? Because he climbed out, most observers initially assumed that he hadn’t been that badly injured – it was only when they received the news that he was going for x-rays that they realised that he might have been more badly injured than first thought.
Guybrush Threepwood (@guybrushthreepwood)
6th February 2017, 21:26
If he does miss Australia, who would replace him?
Oople
6th February 2017, 21:42
Rosberg.
nelson piquet
6th February 2017, 22:42
kubica
socksolid (@socksolid)
6th February 2017, 22:50
Sauber is known for having enough drivers ready at all times.
airtone
7th February 2017, 5:24
+1
Van der Gaarde?
W-K (@w-k)
7th February 2017, 8:04
We need a laugh, Maldonado.
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
7th February 2017, 9:48
The logical pick would be Sergey Sirotkin or Antonio Giovinazzi. Perhaps Nasr, Maldonado, or Haryanto.
Wesley (@)
7th February 2017, 22:54
Luca Badoer
Sandy Claws (@sandyclaws)
6th February 2017, 22:18
I still don’t understand that crash. From the video it looks like he just veered out of his lane, as if he wasn’t looking where he was going.
Spinmastermic (@spinmastermic)
6th February 2017, 23:14
@sandyclaws He was too busy looking at Massa coming to the finish line and drifted wide, with no time to correct then his front right tire hit the barrier. This broke the suspension and that shot him straight into Massa. There wasn’t much he could do.
Jorge Olivier
7th February 2017, 0:35
My hypothesis is that he forgot he was driving a two setter and placed the car considering the distance to his right tire the same as the one to his left tire. Those that have a sports car or a truck and every once in a while drive a sedan or Pizzonia would understand those mistakes.
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
7th February 2017, 9:46
He understeered because of the design of that three-wheel car. While applying power he pretty much couldn’t turn left enough. His only other option would have been to not accelerate at all out of that corner. Several other races with the same car saw that same issue but I suppose Pascal simply pushed harder than the others.
James Coulee
7th February 2017, 14:19
The urgency of Massa’s run seemed a bit odd when I saw the crash. Massa is a nice guy, courteous and sporting, but he really made a run for it.
I suspect now that, from his vantage point, he probably saw Wehrlein hit the barriers with his head.
Maza Raap (@maza)
7th February 2017, 17:42
An F1 driver? People should be more worried about the passenger more than Pascal tbh, looked very lucky to escape that one unhurt.