Formula E champion Wehrlein insists poor package hindered F1 potential

Newly-crowned Formula E world champion Pascal Wehrlein has addressed his rollercoaster career and also his F1 exit which occurred just over six years ago. 

Wehrlein clinched the Formula E title just over a week ago in a thrilling season finale in London, making him a world champion for the first time. 

The German is also a former DTM champion, a title he claimed when he was only 20 years old. 

Incredibly, he claimed his DTM crown before becoming an F1 driver in 2016 for the highly-uncompetitive Manor, where he staggeringly scored a point in Austria.

He remained in F1 for the 2017 season following a successful move to Sauber, although was once again in a below-par car which he did score five points in. 

Unfortunately, the former Mercedes junior was axed at the end of the campaign to make way for Charles Leclerc. So much happened to Wehrlein at a young age, with his F1 career having ended at an age for others it is just starting.

With that in mind, RacingNews365 asked Wehrlein how it feels to be world champion and to have proved that he is an exceptional driver.

"It's a very good question," Wehrlein told RacingNews365. "My professional career started very early, I got my first professional contract when I was 18 years old, and that was in DTM. 

"I achieved to be the youngest DTM champion ever when I was just 20. And that already is a big achievement and probably a record which will stay there for a very long-time still. You know how my F1 career went and what happened there.

"I feel like I didn't have a competitive car to really show what I can do. I still managed to be in the points a couple of times and outscore my teammates and so on. Still, I was the guy who didn't get a drive for the next season. 

"Sometimes, life is like that. And sometimes for yourself, and from your perspective, it feels a bit more fair or a bit less fair."

Regardless of his world title, Wehrlein has been a frontrunner in FE the last two seasons and clinched three victories on his way to the Season 10 championship. 

The German has experienced an incredible amount across F1, DTM and FE, yet is still only 29 years old. 

He recognises that a lot has gone in at such a young age, although he feels that not only is he only halfway through his career, he is very happy with how is life currently is.

"But still, we are all in a very fortunate situation," added Wehrlein. I enjoy life. Sometimes I also believe that things in life are happening for a reason. The situation I'm in today, how happy I am with my team, with my personal life and so on, and my family. 

"Maybe it was meant to be like that, now I'm very happy to be a world champion in Formula E. I'm seeing my team also as my family, and I'm sure that in the future we also have more goals together to achieve and more things to achieve together. 

"I'm still a younger driver, I'm 29. It feels like in my career, and in my life, so much has happened already. 

"But it's probably just half of my career yet, my professional career. So I'm looking forward to that second half, and then to the next couple of years and what we can achieve together."