Sergey Sirotkin joins Renault and will drive in Sochi
Renault intends to align its F1 presence as closely as possible with its business strategy. This is why it has just appointed Sergey Sirotkin as a test driver, which will enable him to drive in front of his home crowd in Sochi.
Russia has been a crucial market for Renault since the acquisition of the majority stake in the national manufacturer, Lada. That’s why it’s important for the company to highlight local drivers.
Thus, two weeks after announcing the arrival of a young Chinese driver into its development program at the Chinese Grand Prix, they take advantage of the Sochi event to announce Sergey Sirotkin’s entry as a test driver, as explained by Frédéric Vasseur, the director of competition: “For Renault Russia, it is also an ideal opportunity to leverage the growing popularity of motorsport within the country, starting with the Grand Prix this weekend and then the Moscow ePrix, which will be held around the Kremlin on June 4.”
The agreement thus stipulates that the ART Grand Prix driver in GP2 will participate in the first Friday morning practice session in Sochi, replacing Kevin Magnussen. It won’t be the first time he’s been in this situation, as he drove a Sauber during the 2014 edition.
This is not the first time that Renault has taken a Russian driver under its wing. For the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Vitaly Petrov was a main driver for the team then known as Lotus Renault GP. Sergey Sirotkin is thus in an ideal position to get a spot for next season. If he were to win the GP2 title at the end of the season, he could become indispensable…
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
