Former Sauber Formula 1 test driver Sergey Sirotkin has joined forces with Rapax for the 2015 GP2 Series season.
The 19 year-old Russian has spent the past two years in Formula Renault 3.5, picking up one race win, one pole position and six podiums. Sirotkin also formerly raced in Auto GP in 2012 where he finished 3rd.
The youngster, who drove for Sauber during free practice in Sochi, tested for Rapax in Abu Dhabi where he impressed the team over the two days.
Sirotkin is now fully focused on making the most of his 2015 season – a season that the Russian describes as ‘crucial’.
“I am delighted to have reached an agreement with Team Rapax for the upcoming GP2 Series season,” said Sirotkin.
“First of all, I want to thank the team;s owners and executives for the push they made in order to have me on board. The 2015 season will be a crucial one for my career.
“I went through some lengthy considerations about what could be the best possible choice for my future. In post-season testing at Abu Dhabi I enjoyed an excellent chemistry with the GP2 car, as well as with the Rapax engineers and all the team.
“They are extremely focused and aggressive, and that’s something I really like. I cannot wait to be back on-track for testing in a few weeks.
“The 2015 Series will be demanding, but also very interesting.”
Team owner Gianfranco Sovernigo also described 2015 as a crucial year for Sirotkin and expressed his delight at securing the Russian’s services.
“We are very proud and satisfied to have a really talented driver like Sergey in our team,” said Sovernigo. “He’s a quick, young guy and we think he can have a great future in car racing.
“We believe that his GP2 experience with Team Rapax will be a crucial step for his career.
“In the post-season test held at Abu Dhabi last November, we had the chance to experience his professionalism, which is a key added value for the season we are about to start.
“I want to thank our CEO Andrea Bergamini for having successfully completed the talks, and having provided us with one of the paddock’s most desired prospects.”
