Why Mercedes' third driver could be its real deal

Pascal Wehrlein is making quite a name for himself. If he stays on this path, and that is a big if, a seat at Mercedes surely awaits in the future.

It's a bold claim when Wehrlein is only four races into his top-flight career. But F1, particularly in recent times, is not renowned for giving drivers much time to impress.

So Wehrlein's performances so far should be heralded. And judging by my experience in dealing with him so far, the pressure that comes with such a statement won't impact him in the slightest.

When Mercedes signed him, it saw something special. It wasn't just inherent speed - which he appears to have in buckets - but how he interacts with the team.

He isn't the only driver Mercedes has backed, and there is no guarantee that he will deliver an end product that justifies the investment. But it is the instant impact that has marked him out.

Since joining Manor, Wehrlein's strides have been dramatic. "He's obviously had some very good coaching," says Manor's racing director Dave Ryan. "He came in very good shape, let's put it that way."

The thing that struck me most when I got my first real chance to chat properly with Wehrlein was his confidence. He had an immense belief in his own ability. This was not arrogance. It was pure honesty.

He knows he is quick. He knows he has the drive to improve. He knows that he still has a long way to go. That's a pretty smart outlook for a 21-year-old with such limited experience.

As he talked through his achievements in previous categories, such as a podium on his first weekend in single-seaters or leading in his first DTM race, he said it as if that was the bare minimum he could have expected.

F1 is a different beast and Wehrlein knows it. But he's doing what he can, with what he's got, to prove to Mercedes he should get a shot.

So far, it seems to be working. "He has shown some very strong performances in qualifying and racing, that's what we were hoping for," says Mercedes' F1 chief Toto Wolff. "We like to see his development within the team. In his rookie year [being] lead driver is a tough thing but so far we are happy."

Wehrlein's performances at the race starts have been particularly impressive.

By the end of lap one in Australia, he was 14th. Lap one was less spectacular in Bahrain - just the two places from 16th to 14th - but he was back on form in China, making up six places - 21st to 15th. Four were gained in Russia, totalling 19 places for four races - more than any other driver this season.

"What he is demonstrating is a great awareness of what is going on around him," says Ryan. "It's all very well going for a gap but it's knowing when to go for a gap, which gaps to go for, where cars are going to move to. He's done an outstanding job.

"He is clearly very gifted in that department and so far, he hasn't put a foot wrong in the first few laps. To be able to do that consistently demonstrates a pretty good car awareness and space awareness and demonstrates he's had a pretty good racing background."

Wehrlein adds: "I'm very happy about my starts this year because in every race I've improved my position on the first lap, which is very good. I just feel confident at the starts, my reaction time seems to be very good. I try to avoid contact with other cars." It sounds simple, but the fact seven drivers had contact on lap one in Russia suggests otherwise.

Wehrlein has the right attitude. He understands that to succeed, he needs to help the team succeed. At the tests and the races, he's putting the work in to generate the right environment around him and the results are coming on the track.

Giving feedback is not easy, especially for someone who has spent so little time in an F1 car in a race-weekend environment, but it seems the German is already excelling in that area.

"The kid knows what he wants," says Ryan. "He knows how to describe what the car is doing and what he needs to focus on. He interacts with his engineers well."

When he gets out of the car, he can succinctly describe what is wrong or what he'd like to try. He is consistently making suggestions, asking the team if it could have tried this or done that. There's a real eye for detail.

"That's exactly what you're looking for with any young driver," adds Ryan. All that after only four races.

It's early days, of course, but what has amazed many insiders most is how quickly he seems to have adapted, particularly having spent three seasons in tin-tops (albeit in a series as single-seater-esque as the DTM).

Before his grand prix debut, Wehrlein had accumulated 2826 miles during F1 test days. Not bad considering the current testing restrictions. His fellow rookies Rio Haryanto and Jolyon Palmer clocked up 1153 miles and 3142 miles (the latter including FP1 sessions) respectively before they hit the grid. But Wehrlein's tally is almost half that of Lewis Hamilton's before he made his debut with McLaren, with 5607 miles under his belt.

Away from the track, there is work to do. The early season flyaway races make for a demanding schedule. But with the European season almost upon us, there will be time for Wehrlein to spend more time at the factory, to further embed himself in the team and begin developing the lines of communication so that it works seamlessly whether he's at a race or not.

The key thing is that he has the appetite. And he needs it because this season with Manor will be challenging. The team may have the class-leading Mercedes power unit and a technical partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering but it is playing catch-up from a long way back. That will provide a challenge for Wehrlein, who is used to fighting at the front.

"It's an opportunity for him to develop as a driver with a team that is developing at the same time," says Ryan. "He's got to be part of that to progress - it's clear he wants to be - and that can only be good for him for the future, wherever he ends up.

"And I have no doubt he will end up somewhere pretty decent in years to come. He'll look back at this as a very positive learning curve. He will benefit and we will benefit."

And Wehrlein is certainly up for the challenge. "Until now, you can be happy," he says. "I want more, I want better results and I will do my best to achieve that."

It's worth noting fellow rookie Haryanto has made a decent start to his F1 career. The Indonesian has been solid in qualifying and shown good race pace, too, with his tyre management particularly impressive.

It's perhaps clear that he lacks the mileage and experience with an F1 team compared to Wehrein. Palmer has had it tougher but in Russia appeared to have turned a corner. Both have been solid so far but that only serves to highlight the magnificent job Wehrlein is doing.

There are similarities with the late Jules Bianchi, who trod the same path with this team, and many picked him out as a future world champion. But it could be a long process.

Bianchi would have done two years with Marussia with a move to Sauber very much on the cards. If that went well, perhaps Ferrari beckoned. At Mercedes, it's not clear when an opportunity will arise, given the strength of its current line-up. But things can change very quickly in Formula 1.

If Wehrlein continues on this path, success surely beckons.