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Williams has officially confirmed its 2018 line-up, with Sergey Sirotkin claiming the seat ahead of Robert Kubica. The young Russian became a contender for the seat following the end of the 2017 season, when he took part in a post-season test for the Grove-based team.
The 22-year-old has competed in a number of free practice one sessions with Sauber and Renault since 2014, and finished third in the GP2 standings in both 2015 and 2016. Sirotkin admitted that his dream had come true, now that he is an official F1 driver.
"To say I’m happy and proud to join such a famous team like Williams is an understatement," he said. "It took a huge amount of work to get where I am, and I’m really happy and thankful to everyone involved. The result of our combined efforts has helped me achieve my dream, and rest assured the team can rely on me to deliver my best."
Deputy team principal Claire Williams added: "After an extensive driver evaluation process, I am thrilled to have our 2018 line-up finalised, and I’m excited to see what next season brings. We have taken our time to evaluate all the available options, and I’m confident Lance and Sergey can deliver the best results for the team.
"The Williams philosophy has always been to promote and develop young talent and Sergey fits right into that ethos. Lance has had a record-breaking debut season, and with a year now under his belt, he will be ready to hit the ground running in 2018. We have a talented driver line-up for 2018, that we are confident will deliver some exciting results for the team.”
Fergal Walsh
Grand Prix of Belgium
C. Sainz jr
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ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
I am willing to give Sirotkin a chance, and for everyone's sake let's hope he does well. Furthermore, I'm glad that Kubica stayed as the reserve driver. This will also give him a better chance to make an impression if he does manage a comeback, as he will be more familiar with the new cars.