Mercedes will continue to support Pascal Wehrlein

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has confirmed that Pascal Wehrlein will continue to receive support from the Silver Arrows following the loss of his Sauber seat to Charles Leclerc, and insisted that the young driver deserves to have a seat in Formula One.

Wehrlein is viewed as one one of the most talented young drivers on the circuit and came through the Mercedes young driver programme, but lost his seat with Sauber this summer, with the team opting to take on Leclerc instead.

The German is now without a seat for the 2018 campaign, but Wolff has claimed that he will continue to receive support from Mercedes until he makes a return to the sport.

"Pascal definitely deserves a place in formula one," Wolff is quoted by Italy's Autosprint.

"He is among the fastest drivers. At the moment things seem a little difficult regarding the available seats, but he will absolutely remain in our team."

However, it remains to be seen if Wehrlein will drive in another discipline.

"It is not clear if he will race in a category outside formula one, but what is certain is that he will remain part of our team," Wolff added.

Sauber chief Frederic Vasseur is the man who decided to replace Wehrlein with Leclerc, and has admitted he feels for young drivers who are trying to break into teams.

"Even if a newcomer is very competitive it is not easy for him," the Frenchman told Auto Hebdo.

"This is evident in Mercedes and Ferrari, who do not risk putting their drivers Ocon or Leclerc in their cars because the stakes are too high.

"Instead they give their drivers experience in partner teams. The top teams do not feel confident in their young drivers."