Why Sirotkin was the Right Choice

The Formula 1 world was hit this week, with the greatly anticipated news of the final seat being filled for the 2018 season. The lucky winner of the second Williams Martini Racing drive went to a certain Sergey Sirotkin.

For many out of the F1 loop, Sirotkin may be a new name, alternatively he’s a name you swear you’ve heard somewhere before and with this plucky young Russian beating four, now-former F1 drivers, you’d be right to ask where he got his credentials.

Alongside already confirmed Lance Stroll, the team also announced their reserve driver, with Robert Kubica taking up the mantle. For a variety of fans, this seemed outrageous with money being blamed for the final decision, but as with anything in F1, this does not tell the full story.

As I mentioned previously, Sirotkin may not be a new name to many. He first rose to prominence in the F1 community during 2013 when a deal with the Sauber F1 Team saw him become their test driver during a turbulent ‘Silly Season’.

Quite amusingly, one of the biggest challenges to his promotion came from other drivers claiming he would be too young, with many claiming that no 18-year-old could competitively drive an F1 car.

Four years and one Max Verstappen later and we hardly hear this argument any more.

Inevitably his chances were quelled by a lack of follow through from his sponsors and the arrival of Daniil Kvyat, which gave the Russians their much needed national hero for investors to pour their cash on, important with the inaugural Russian Grand Prix later that year. Sauber instead chose Adrian Sutil in the hope the German could lead them to potential podiums.

Sauber would fail to score in 2014.

While still supported by SMP Racing, Sirotkin took on the role of Sauber’s test driver for 2014, racing in his second year of Formula Renault 3.5. It would be a highly competitive field, with five of the top six all making it to F1. Only Oliver Rowland, Sirotkin’s teammate (and 2017 Renault reserve), who finished one place above him the standings, has not made it.

With his Sauber ties effectively cut after a controversial reshuffle in 2015 (in which the team signed four drivers for two seats) Sirotkin made a name for himself as he moved to GP2.

A strong rookie drive saw him take third in the title fight behind dominant champion Stoffel Vandoorne and Alexander Rossi, both of which made it to F1, along with the man he beat, Rio Haryanto. A return for 2016 saw him once again take third, best-of-the-rest behind the Prema Powerteam pair of Pierre Gasly and Antonio Giovanazzi.

Again, both of these have raced in F1, with Gasly lining up at Torro Rosso this season. It was also during this year his F1 dreams were given a second chance as he became the Renault Sport Test and then Reserve driver.

These links have served him well and after being passed over for the Renault seat in favour of Sainz, has found a link with Williams.

But there is still the issue of money…

A number of critics has cited the Russians £15m deal with SMP Racing as the main reason for his contract and while this was certainly the case in 2013, time has changed and Sirotkin has made the most of his time out of the spotlight to develop and prove himself to a level where he’d be deserving of a seat regardless of money.

He may not have won a championship since 2011 (racing Formula Abarth European Series), but promotion after strong results at the top is hardly unusual for F1 drivers. Kimi Raikkonen was promoted after winning Formula Renault 2000 UK which even at the time was a ridiculous leap, while Verstappen never won a single-seater title.

While I’m not trying to compare Sirotkin to world champions, the results he’s achieved more than match similarly paced Jules Bianchi, who also finished third in GP2 twice before getting promoted.

If it was purely down to money, Williams should have chosen their driver months ago. You need the money to build a competitive car, so why not sign them up at the end of last season when you had a winter to develop the machine. This January signing will likely not go too far in establishing the car.

And this is likely why Williams chose Sirotkin. With a car they know will not be challenging for podiums, why put in an experienced driver to “get the results”, when it would be better spend developing a car for 2019.

Who is to say Kubica could even get the results either.

During his comeback test with Renault, Kubica was lauded for his quick pace he eventually achieved, but little was said of Sirotkin, who in the same car was putting in identical times.

Kubica may have proved he can race for a full distance, but that mileage is going to be expected for 21 races with Free Pracitce and Qualifying. Modern surgery may be miraculous, but the scars (mental and physical) could play a toll late in the season when Williams need him to perform on back-to-back weekends. It’s a big risk for a driver who other than a WRC event and Renault Sport Trophy cameo hasn’t raced full-time since 2015.

Breaks from racing can kill career momentum. Raikkonen, although competitive has not been championship ready since his Rally exploits, while Felipe Massa (the man vacating the seat) was notably beaten by Fernando Alonso after his head injury in Hungary.

Finally there’s the case of Michael Schumacher. His return in 2010 was met with much fanfare, yet despite three seasons to get accustom, would only score one podium to Nico Rosberg’s five, which included a win in China.

The evidence was stacked against Robert from the start and would arguably be a similar driving force behind Paul di Resta’s dismissal as a candidate, although in the Scot’s defense, he’d had a guest appearance in Hungary last year.

So finally there’s the case of the two current F1 faces, Kvyat and Pascal Wehrlein.

Kvyat, whose rise to F1 killed Sirotkin’s first attempt at a race seat will ultimately see his career fizzle out thanks to his compatriot. While I’m sure Russian investors would be just as happy to see either in the seat, Daniil’s fall from glory and his failure to perform when it matters means that Williams, like Red Bull, would have no faith that he could actually guide the team to success.

As for Wehrlein, his results had been solid. DTM champion and scoring points in a Manor stood him out, yet his supposed disagreeableness within the Sauber team would, if true, make him a terrible candidate to develop a car around.

This then brings us to the one remaining sticking point with Sirotkin, his experience. Even if Kubica could bring more experience would that development mean more than a few extra million from the Russian. This is likely the major reason for bringing him on as the Test Driver.

I would not be surprised if Kubica is given a lot of track time in pre-season testing. By using him as someone to develop the car, the team can utilise Robert’s experience while not either exhausting him or skipping on the money that Sirotkin and SMP bring.

While it is easy to dismiss Stroll as a pay driver, his results in junior formula (even if helped by his father) still made him a suitable candidate for the seat, while Williams will consider themselves lucky to have struck gold with their second talented junior to bring significant investment.

The next few years may not be title-winning for Williams, but a steady flow of cash and developing young drivers could yet see the outfit come of age when the new engine regulations are implemented in 2021.