Sergey Sirotkin linked with Renault seat

Sergey Sirotkin is the latest name to be linked with a move to Renault for next season.

The 20-year-old Russian is already on the French manufacturer's books as a development driver and drove in the first free practice session in Sochi earlier this season.

He is also backed by the SMP Racing scheme, which has supported many Russian racing drivers in recent years, including Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin.

Now his father Oleg believes his his GP2-topping son is ready to step up to Formula One.

"GP2 is the last step before formula one so it is really a merit to his efforts and SMP Racing," he told Russian radio Sport FM. "As for Renault, Sergey will still do some formula one tests and we are in fact talking about Sergey getting a chance with the team."

"The first thing to do is minimally the top three in the GP2 championship, but it is better to win. The Russian market is very important to Renault, and the presence of a Russian driver I think would be very good for them," he added.

Interestingly, every Russian driver to compete in F1 so far has made his début and scored his best result in a Renault powered car.Read more on our mobile website

Vitaly Petrov drove for Renault in 2010 and 2011, scoring a podium finish in the 2011 Australian Grand Prix, while Daniil Kvyat made his bow for the Renault-powered Toro Rosso team in 2014 and finished second for Red Bull Racing in Hungary a year later driving a car powered by the same Renault engine.