Wolff: Wehrlein decision was best for his career

The decision not to promote Pascal Wehrlein to the Mercedes seat following Nico Rosberg’s retirement was the best for his career, according to team boss Toto Wolff.

Wehrlein may have been viewed as the Silver Arrows’ rising star this time last year, but the German missed out on the promotion to the top team after being considered for the role.

Wolff believes that, with only a year in Formula One under his belt, Wehrlein needs more time to develop and insists the 22-year-old has to continue to learn from his mistakes before he is ready for the scrutiny of being a championship contender.

“He is in his development phase,” Wolff said. “He must be able to make mistakes and learn. And he could not have done that with us.

“Look at Sergio Perez, Heikki Kovalainen, or Kevin Magnussen. They arrived too early at McLaren and were not well enough prepared.”

Though Sauber may not seem like the home of a Mercedes rising star, the move gives Wehrlein the chance to continue his development phase out of the limelight.

Wolff also says Wehrlein shouldn’t be compared to Max Verstappen and his rapid rise through the Red Bull ranks. Verstappen, though only 18 when he joined Red Bull, had a better chance to develop, according to Wolff, who also pointed out that the Dutchman didn’t have Lewis Hamilton as a teammate.

“We must not forget that even Max had his development phase,” Wolff said. “Red Bull prepared him perfectly, first with drivers on Friday morning, then doing a season and a half at Toro Rosso. And, even when he arrived at Red Bull, he did not have to fight for the world title or compete with a driver like Lewis Hamilton.

“He won one race versus 19 for us, and was not always at the front. And he made mistakes, as in Monaco or Austin, which a young driver must be allowed to do. Because there are no second chances.”