Sergey Sirotkin, official driver of the Williams Martini Racing team, analyzed his first weeks of work with his new team, in an interview conducted by Motorsport.com. In it, we can observe the most human part of Sirotkin, talking about his day to day, the relationship with the members of the team and even his relationship with Robert Kubica.
His life, since he was announced as a Williams driver for the current season has changed a lot. Despite being involved in the world of F1, he has been test driver for the past three years with Sauber and Renault, his calendar has been filled with events and he says he has not rested enough: “I really like to do what I do, no matter how difficult it is. If we look back on these five weeks, we could say that it would have been more correct to rest a little, say “no” to some things. I still have to go home, recover a little. But I understand why everything we do is so important. I am aware of what these sacrifices are, because what we are doing now will be really beneficial for the future”, commented Sergey.
He said his mobile phone do not stop ringing: “The last weeks have been so full that my phone, with all the messages … I have not even read the news in a long time. Unfortunately I have not been able to answer to everyone. I do not want anyone to feel upset, but there were too many. “
The Russian driver told how anecdotal it was the first time he coincided with Frank Williams: “There’s a story of how he first saw me at base this year. I was doing regular – two, three times a week – pitstop practice with mechanics. I’m on the wheel gun. One time we were practicing, I wasn’t in uniform and Frank showed up, and I had my back turned to him. He watched it, and then said – this new mechanic, looks a bit raw, needs more time to train with the wheel gun. – He was told later that it was me. So that was our first meeting this year”, said Sirotkin ironically.
Abu Dhabi was one of the starting points in the interest of Williams to have him in their ranks as an official driver. The good tests he did with the team, made him win the right to take the seat he has today: “You could say that I realised I did do my job well, and that my chances were much higher than they seemed initially.”
The decision to opt for Sirotkin, ended the dream of many F1 lovers to see Robert Kubica behind the wheel again. Kubica, who also made several tests with Williams, was left without a seat after Williams betting on Sirotkin, who became the “villain” of the serial: “To be honest, we’ve many times touched upon that subject – painful for some, not so for others. But you saw it – myself and Robert, we’re talking here. He’s a really nice, great person. I understand his position, I truly respect him, he’s achieved so much, but yeah…. We’re not here to be these good kids yielding and giving way to each other. It’s every man for himself, and he understands it just as well. It happened the way it happened. And I think we’ve got a normal relationship. I think that’s a sign of my great respect for him”, explained the Russian pilot.
Sirotkin, who will pair with Lance Stroll, will lead the first Williams designed by Paddy Lowe since his return to the team: “It’s a much more aggressive concept. In many areas for engineers, it is always a matter of balance between reliability and speed. And to a certain part, reliability always took priority. But now we have opted for a very aggressive approach”, said Williams’ driver, who assumes that he has many things to discover from F1: “It’s true, there’s still a lot that I do not know, many things that I have not seen, but the way my relationship with the team developed it goes surprisingly well. It was a rough five weeks. Very hard, even. But I’m really looking forward to working with the team.”
