Sergey Sirotkin, set to smash the record next year as the youngest ever F1 racer, has hit back at claims he is a “pay driver”.<\/p>\n
The 17-year-old’s father is a key figure among the Russian entities that have bailed out the ailing Sauber.<\/p>\n
Currently just ninth in the Formula Renault 3.5 series, behind highly rated drivers like the McLaren-backed Kevin Magnussen, and the likely next Toro Rosso driver Antonio Felix da Costa, Sirotkin’s fast-track to the grid has earned him the ‘pay driver’ label.<\/p>\n
“That is completely wrong,” Sirotkin told Basler Zeitung newspaper.<\/p>\n
“There is much more to it.\u00a0 We are talking about a big project, where another driver could have been selected.<\/p>\n
“It’s not an investment in me, it’s about the big picture,” he insisted.<\/p>\n
“It’s not that I’m going to drive in F1 for fun, I have been selected because of my performance.\u00a0 I want people to respect what I do.<\/p>\n
“It’s about the promotion of formula one in Russia.\u00a0 And it’s also quite normal that the driver also brings a sponsor, just as Fernando Alonso brings Santander bank to Ferrari,” added Sirotkin.<\/p>\n
But some of the criticism of Sirotkin’s 2014 move to Sauber is also because of his age — currently, he is still just 17, too young to apply for a road drivers’ license in Russia.<\/p>\n
Asked if he is arguably too young for F1, he admitted: “Yes, that’s right.\u00a0 It may be that I’m not 100 per cent ready, but I still have half a year to prepare.<\/p>\n
“That should be enough,” Sirotkin added.<\/p>\n
“Maybe our results in the World Series are insufficient, but you can still see that we have the speed.\u00a0 We just need a little bit more luck in the races.”<\/p>\n
One of those questioning Sirotkin’s preparedness for F1 is Jenson Button, who in the past has admitted that, at 20, he himself made his debut too early.<\/p>\n
“I began racing at 8,” the Briton is quoted by Russia’s Championat, “but even at twenty, realistically speaking, it was too early.<\/p>\n
“I had to learn about the sport from the inside.<\/p>\n
“On the one hand, it’s good, but on the other hand, you can’t hide.<\/p>\n
“I think another year in the junior categories would have helped me come to formula one much more prepared,” added Button.<\/p>\n
“I was not ready at 17.\u00a0 Maybe he is, I don’t know, but he needs to be careful.\u00a0 Formula one is a tough business.”<\/p>\n
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