Pascal Wehrlein is set to jump to Sauber for 2017 as current team Manor face a battle for survival.
The German will replace Felipe Nasr, who has lost his backing from Banco do Brasil as his home country battles a financial and political crisis.
The irony in the move is that Nasr instigated his likely exit from the grid by scoring Sauber’s first and likely to be only points of the season at his home race in Sao Paulo just under two weeks ago.
His ninth place at Interlagos moved Sauber ahead of Manor in the Constructors’ championship costing the British team millions of Euros.
With a normal race expected in Abu Dhabi, the chance of another twist in the battle between the two teams is small. As a result, it leaves Manor needing to secure drivers with significant sponsorship to fill the resulting void.
Rio Haryanto is likely to be one driver, having secured strong Asian backing since being dropped in the summer but who would replace Wehrlein is unknown at this time with the current deal in place between Mercedes and Manor no longer beneficial enough.
There could be more to the Wehrlein angle, however. With Esteban Ocon taking the seat at Force India for 2017 it has likely put the Frenchman ahead of the German in the running for a future seat at Mercedes.
Therefore, would a move to Sauber, a team with Ferrari links, mean the former DTM champion has severed his Mercedes ties? Or is it simply a case of the Swiss team being the last resort?
That would be a story to follow should the move be confirmed. At this time only Esteban Gutierrez is considered a possible alternative, though the Mexican’s backing could also be helpful in Manor’s quest to secure their finances.
Whether it would be a good move for Wehrlein we can only wait until 2017 to find out. The team is in a stronger financial position itself than it was at the start of the year but was later in starting development for the new look cars.
They have also secured the services of several well-respected engineers so while the start to next season may be difficult, Sauber could come on strong as the year progresses.
