Pascal Wehrlein to leave Formula 3 with a win and two podiums in FIA Formula 3 European Championship

• Wehrlein moves to DTM with Mercedes-Benz this season
• Successful Formula 3 weekend for Mercedes-Benz: All nine podium places taken by drivers racing Mercedes-Benz engines

Monza, 2-4-2013 — /europawire.eu/ —  Mercedes-Benz DTM driver Pascal Wehrlein has ended his Formula 3 career with three podiums. The 18-year-old lined up this weekend at the FIA ​​Formula 3 European Championship in Monza, Italy for the final time in Formula 3 before his move to the world’s most popular touring car series. Wehrlein achieved a win, two podiums, two pole positions and two fastest laps with his team, RSC Mücke Motorsport. Wehrlein drove to victory in the second race on Sunday in pouring rain and in extremely difficult conditions.

It was a successful start to the new FIA ​​Formula 3 European Championship season for Mercedes-Benz. Local driver Raffaele Marciello took the first race from Austrian Lucas Auer and Wehrlein with all three drivers on the podium utilising the Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine. In the second race, which Wehrlein won, seven Dallara-Mercedes came home in the top eight. Wehrlein finished second behind Marciello in the third race. The top three places in all three races at Monza were covered by drivers powered by Mercedes-Benz engines.

Next on Wehrlein’s agenda – more preparations for his debut season in the DTM. He will spend two days testing at the ITR sessions during the coming week, driving the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé on Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. Aged 18 years and 188 days, Wehrlein will be the youngest driver ever in the DTM when the season opens at Hockenheim on 5th May 2013.
Bringing on young motor racing drivers has a long tradition at Mercedes-Benz. Twelve of the 22 drivers currently competing in Formula 1 this season, plus, four of the six Mercedes-Benz DTM drivers in the 2013 line-up formerly raced in Formula 3, using Mercedes power. They are, apart from Wehrlein (runner-up, 2012): Christian Vietoris (runner-up, 2009), Roberto Merhi (champion, 2011) and Daniel Juncadella (champion, 2012). All four are in the Mercedes-Benz DTM squad this year.

Pascal Wehrlein: “What a great way to finish my Formula 3 career this weekend! A win to mark my last time out in Formula 3 was what I had most wished for, but to secure three podiums is just incredible – especially as I had a touch of flu this weekend. The conditions on Sunday were anything but easy, and this was actually my first time out in the wet at Monza. So, winning the second race was all the sweeter in view of the conditions. I’m now looking forward to the DTM and the next big adventure. I can hardly wait for the test drives in the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé.”

Ralf Schumacher, Manager RSC Mücke Motorsport: “A win and three podiums – this represents a great start to the FIA ​​Formula 3 European Championship season for our team and a fantastic way to finish for Pascal. He has shown his promise as a young driver once again with his performance this weekend. He must now meet the challenge of driving for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM but has the skills needed for future success at this high level, for sure.”

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Ralf Glaser
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Oliver Kapffenstein
Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Communications
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Wolfgang Schattling
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FIA Formula 3 European Championship, Pascal Wehrlein, Mercedes-Benz, RSC Mücke Motorsport, Monza
Mar 24, 2013