Sirotkin: Simona de Silvestro, a “marketing coup” for Sauber F1
The young Russian driver Sergey Sirotkin believes that Simona de Silvestro is more of a marketing move by Sauber than a real threat for a possible seat in F1.
Simona de Silvestro signed a contract with Sauber this season, aiming to join the F1 paddock and become the first woman to race in the premier discipline since Giovanna Amati in 1992. Although she is not a full member of the team, she nevertheless has the status of an affiliated driver.
On his side, Sergey Sirotkin benefits from a test driver status with the Swiss team after long envisioning the possibility of becoming a main driver for the 2014 season. Ultimately, this option was not retained, with Sauber fielding Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil, and Sirotkin was sent to Formula Renault 3.5 to gain experience. He even won the race held this Saturday at the Moscow circuit. However, the Russian was able to validate his Super License during the in-season tests that took place in Bahrain last April.
However, according to him, the presence of Simona de Silvestro in the team does not constitute a real threat: “At Sauber, there is a third driver, Giedo van der Garde, a test driver, myself, and a sponsored driver […] whom they are helping to reach Formula 1 level. I think it’s a marketing stunt so I have nothing to fear. We’ll see what happens,” Sergey Sirotkin stated to the website F1news.ru.
Currently, the test driver claims to be focusing on the Formula Renault 3.5 championship, while hoping to have the opportunity to drive in the first free practice session of the Russian Grand Prix: « In fact, I was supposed to take part in free practice, not just in Sochi, but it’s an open question, » he explains. « Obviously, in terms of marketing, public interest, and other factors, the logical thing is to do it in Sochi, but we can’t yet say if it will happen in Sochi or on another track. »
The one currently holding the 12th position in the FR 3.5 states: « For now, my priority is the World Series by Renault, so I have no intention of favoring F1 if it complicates things for me or could hinder my performance in the championship. I am constantly in contact with the team; after the race at Nürburgring, the World Series will start a long break, so I think at that time it will be possible to work on joint activities ».
Without giving details, he indicates that decisions have been made regarding him: « Some measures have been decided but I can’t talk about them until Sauber makes a statement. In any case, it makes no sense to talk about it because I am fully committed to Formula Renault 3.5.
