Sirotkin stays in F1 at Renault
A few weeks after being sidelined by Williams, Sergey Sirotkin found refuge with the Renault team as their third driver.
With Esteban Ocon and Brendon Hartley, Sergey Sirotkin was another major loser in the musical chairs of winter transfers. The Russian driver, who had an honest season with an outdated Williams last year, failed to convince his employers to keep him, despite a substantial budget.
Blocked by Robert Kubica and George Russell in the British team, Sirotkin therefore returns to Renault as the third driver. He had already held this role in the French team in 2016 and 2017.
This new role allows the Russian to keep a foot in the discipline: “It will be interesting for me to observe Renault’s progression in car development over the past year. Last season, we were rivals, and I couldn’t see the work being done behind the scenes. So I’m thrilled to join the team as a reserve driver and look forward to working alongside Nico Hülkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo,” Sirotkin notably said.
The former Williams driver thus relegates Jack Aitken, a former reserve, to the rank of test driver.
