The day before the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it became known that Sergei Sirotkin would not play for Williams next season. The management decided to conclude a full-fledged contract with Robert Kubica, who this season played the role of a backup pilot. In 2011, the Pole sustained serious injuries as a result of an accident during the Rondi di Andorra rally, but not only was able to survive four operations, but also return to Formula 1. His teammate will be George Russell, and the Russian driver and Canadian Lance Stroll will leave the stable.
“Dear friends, unfortunately, next season I will not compete in Formula 1.” It was a very long and difficult year, I didn’t always succeed as I would like. I continued to work, gave all my strength and put my whole soul for the result. And to admit honestly, I believe that in these circumstances we managed adequately, "- wrote Sirotkin on his official page on Instagram.
He thanked all the fans for their support, as well as for the attention he received during the Russian Formula 1 stage - the Sochi Grand Prix.
“This year will remain forever in my memory, including thanks to you! Thanks for everything, friends! ”- concluded the pilot.
Despite the efforts of Sirotkin, his performance this season can hardly be called successful. Failures pursued Russians from the starting stage in Australia, during which he was forced to go the distance already in the fifth round. Subsequently, he still failed to finish twice, and in Azerbaijan he was one of the perpetrators of a major accident.
At the moment, the Russian occupies the last place in the table and has only one point in the asset, which he received for tenth place at the Italian Grand Prix. In addition to local success in Monza, Sergey was only four times able to rise above the 15th line.
Not achieved success and partner Sirotkina team. After 15 stages, Stroll takes 18th place in the general classification and is only five points ahead of his team-mate. Most of them - four - was received for a successful performance at the very Grand Prix of Azerbaijan, where the Canadian was the eighth. But to develop success, he failed and in the remaining races only once managed to get into the top-10 - in Monza, Lance was located a line above Sergey.
Such results could not satisfy the leaders of the British stables, who were forced to take drastic measures, completely changing the composition of the pilots. At the same time, the deputy head of the team Claire Williams very expectedly focused on the candidacy of the Polish pilot, because the full return of Kubica to Formula 1 can be called one of the main events of the next season.
“I am pleased to announce that Robert has become a partner of George Russell for the 2019 season. Williams was very impressed with what he achieved. And the fact that he returned to Formula 1 was a great achievement of his strength of character and perseverance. During the year, his commitment to the team and the work he showed behind the scenes was unshakable. He really embodies the morale of the team, ”the team’s press service quoted Williams as saying.
She expressed the hope that Kubica will be able to help the team reach leading positions in the coming year, and also turned to the current Williams drivers.
“I would also like to thank Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin for their hard work in this difficult season. We wish them all the best in their future career, ”concluded Claire Williams.
Thus, the Pole returns to Formula 1 after a terrible accident, the risk of amputation of the arm and 76 days in the hospital.
“What seemed almost impossible in the beginning is now felt real. I am delighted that I can say: I will be on the starting grid of the Formula 1 in 2019, ”admitted Kubica.
In his opinion, together with Russell, they will help the team to correct the situation.
“Returning to the peloton will be one of the greatest achievements of my life. Thanks again to everyone who supported and believed in me. I can not wait to return to the race ", - concluded Kubica.
In 2019, Russia will again be represented by only one pilot. If this season, Sergey took the baton from Daniel Kvyat, then in 2019 he will pass it back to her former owner. After a year spent as a test pilot of the Ferrari, Kvyat returns to Toro Rosso.
At the moment, Sirotkin did not tell where he was going to pursue a career. But as stated by the founder and head of the SMP Racing program, Boris Rotenberg, Sergey will definitely return to the team and hold many more races in it. In addition, he noted that the decision to terminate cooperation with Williams came precisely from the Russian side.
“We have decided not to participate in the Formula 1 World Championships in a joint project with the Williams Martini Racing team. We were unpleasantly surprised by the level at which the “stable” turned out to be at the beginning of the season. The progress of the car was also not high enough. Despite this, Sergey spent a good season in the conditions in which he found himself, laid out at 100% and fully completed the tasks assigned to him. We are pleased with his work and are currently considering various options for continuing Sirotkin’s career. We will announce our decision soon, ”the program press service quotes Rotenberg.