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Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams has hit back at criticism that the team has received in recent weeks following the announcement of its 2018 line-up. Williams says that the decision was not decided by money.
Lance Stroll will compete in his second year in F1 this year, and comes with a backing from father Lawrence, a Canadian investor. Stroll will be partnered with SMP Racing-backed Sergey Sirotkin, who got the seat over Robert Kubica following a test in Abu Dhabi.
Fans reacted to the news negatively and lashed out at Williams for not opting to choose Kubica. However, Williams says that they would only insert talented drivers into their cars, with money not being the sole deal-maker.
"We would only put talented drivers in our car,” Williams said. "This is a dangerous business and we’re not going to put someone in a car just because they come with money. Our decision-making process is so much more complex than just deciding to put a driver into the race seat because they have some cash.
"Yes, we are an independent team and yes, sponsorship is really difficult to come by these days. So clearly if a driver has some financial backing then that is an added bonus, but it’s not the foundation for a decision-making process at Williams."
But Williams says that drivers who come with sponsorship are nothing new: "It is nothing new in Formula 1 that drivers come with money, and thank goodness they do. "[Spanish bank] Santander has followed Fernando Alonso to every team he has been to.
"You could suggest he is a pay driver, I would not do such a thing. The vocabulary used around pay drivers is wrong, it’s inappropriate and it’s unnecessary. it puts a negativity around a driver that we just should not be doing in this sport anymore."
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Numnum
Posts: 4,863
Only talented drivers she said....
What the frig is Stroll doing in a F1 car then?
Same goes for Kubica. Excellent driver and talent. Before his accident.
If Sirotkin is talented enough to drive F1 at the max remains to be seen.
Luckely I can’t do any better in a F1 car.