Wehrlein relieved to avoid penalty and take point for Manor

Austrian Grand Prix 2016

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Pascal Wehrlein was relieved to score Manor’s first points of the year despite reversing on the grid prior to the start of the race.

He delivered the second points finish in the history of the team, which came into F1 as Virgin six years ago.

However Wehrlein admitted he “nearly messed it up before the race started” after lining up in the tenth-place grid slot left vacant by Felipe Massa instead of his own.

Reversing on the track is not forbidden by the regulations except in the pit lane – which Lewis Hamilton fell victim to in Bahrain this year.

His progress was stalled and at one point found himself trailing the pack. “We were a bit unlucky with our second pit stop because we needed to box earlier than the other guys, then unfortunately the safety car came out, so that meant that I was lapped and last. To finish the race in the points from there is incredible”

Explaining the secret to his progress he went on to say “we did more than half race distance with one set of tyres”

The single point for tenth position moves them ahead of the Sauber team, the only team to have not yet scored in 2016.

2016 Austrian Grand Prix

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    Chris Turner
    Being pelted by rain on his first visit to an F1 race at the 1998 British Grand Prix wasn't enough to dim Chris's passion...

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    17 comments on “Wehrlein relieved to avoid penalty and take point for Manor”

    1. Both times Manor scored points, they had a problem with starting the race on the wrong spot. Glad this time they escaped penalty

    2. What a day for a future Mercedes prospect to deliver a great result.

    3. Seriously… how did this guy escape that? Alonso did it two years ago from a closer spot and got penalized. Pascal did it from a longer spot and got away with it.. I understand the red lights have to be on in order for reversing on the grid to get a penalty. But that was quite crazy…

      1. you answer yourself your own question… :)

      2. Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
        3rd July 2016, 16:26

        It doesn’t seem to be part of the rules but I really don’t understand why it isn’t. Sometime last year, Massa parked every so slightly out of position on his starting position. He didn’t get a penalty but it was said that if anyone did that this year, it would result in a penalty. They did have to abort that start though just for that. However, Wehrlein gets away with parking 1 place further up than he should do. That is already worse than what Massa did in my view. Then he reverses back to the correct position seconds before the light go out? I don’t understand how he gets away with this. I instantly thought they would about the start but they didn’t and he didn’t get any sort of penalty at all.
        So you can reverse on the starting grid after the formation lap to correct a mistake you have already made and escape a penalty but Hamilton got a reprimand for reversing in the pit lane? These rules are frustrating and confusing.

        However, Wehrleinl did have a great race after that mistake.

        1. @thegianthogweed after massa’s incident a rule was introduced saying that if a driver causes an aborted start they must start from the pitlane. wehrlein didn’t cause an aborted start so no penalty

          1. Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
            3rd July 2016, 17:55

            OK, that explains why. However, in my view it is quite strange why that didn’t cause an aborted start as a car moving around on the grid looks a fair bit more suspicious that one parked ever so slightly out of position.

            I assume this will mean that if a car parks out of position and the driver realizes before the race gets aborted, they can move around to park correctly without it resulting in a penalty?

    4. Great day for Pascal, with possibly a massive gift from Rosberg?

      1. Rosberg finished in front of Wehrlein…

        1. I think he meant that Wehrlein is about to take Rosbergs seat after what Rosberg did.
          Tenth place however was of course helped by Perez late retirement.

          1. Exactly @unitedkingdomracing. There are drivers you can leave to race, and drivers you can’t, and Merc need one they can. I’m thinking next season rather than this. Who knows obviously but there is a pattern and today was blatant.

    5. Expect something similar from him at Hockenheim, another venue very familiar to him as DTM races there twice a year.

    6. Its very strange that Hamilton is given a penalty for driving 5 meters backwards in the pitlane AFTER a race because of the wrong instructions of the FIA-marshalls at barhein and Werlein drove 15 meters backwards DURING the race (at the starting-grid) and left without a penalty???!?!?
      Reversing in pitlane is forbidden, on track its not??

      dont get me wrong, am a fan of both drivers…just saying

    7. Im glad for Wherlein scoring his first F1 points but not getting a penalty is just ridiculous… You are not allowed to move on starting grid but allowed to reverse? What are they smoking up there

      1. I don’t understand why some people are up in arms about this. We just went to Baku where drivers were reversing out of run-off areas every five minutes in practice. What made Wehrlein’s move so bad?

        1. @keithcollantine I’d expected not a race penalty, but a reprimand and maybe a point on his license for that. Combined for reversing on the track and not positioning his car correctly on the grid.

    8. Claire Gorman
      3rd July 2016, 22:52

      Yes he did reverse but the lights sequence was not complete and give the guy some credit for a great weekend. Made it home in 10th, lucky with Perez going out but that shows the value of never giving up til its over. Good drive and valuable point for manor. Those chances are rare. And JB did a splendid job too.

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