Claire Williams believes Sergey Sirotkin can hit the ground running in 2018 after the Russian was confirmed to partner Lance Stroll at Williams Martini Racing after months of rumours and deliberations.
The Deputy Team Principal of the Grove-based team feels the line-up of twenty-two-year-old Sirotkin alongside nineteen-year-old Stroll is an exciting proposition, and Williams believes they can both provide strong results for the team right from the start of the year.
Williams believes the team has made the right choice in bringing in Sirotkin in place of the now-retired Felipe Massa after evaluating the Russian alongside other individuals including Robert Kubica, Pascal Wehrlein, Paul di Resta and Daniil Kvyat, and his signing is further proof of Williams’ philosophy of bringing young drivers into Formula 1.
“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,” said Williams. “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.”
