Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn has said that she is "convinced" by 18-year-old Sergey Sirotkin's talent and potential.
The Russian youngster looks set to join the Swiss team in 2014 as their race driver, but only if he gets the required super-license.
Three Russian investors joined forces with Sauber earlier in the season, helping save them from financial trouble. Sirotkin has come with the deal and is expected to join the team as a race driver next season.
Speaking about the young driver in an interview with the Official Formula 1 website, Kaltenborn said: "We have Sergey Sirotkin under contract and it is our intention that in 2014 he will be one of our drivers. We are convinced by him: he is a young and talented driver. Of course, to say now how he will really do on the track would be mere speculation, but we feel that from the ingredients he brings - and from what everybody could see in Monza - the basis is good. With all this we have a good feeling about preparing him for his super license and then to get him in."
When asked if it was in fact a race drive that Sirotkin is destined for, Kaltenborn replied: "…he is meant to be our race driver."
Sirotkin currently competes in the Formula Renault 3.5 series and has so far had an inconsistent season. He has scored two podium finishes so far but has failed to finish in the points on a consistent basis, leaving him eighth in the overall standings with four races to go.
With Russia set to join the Formula 1 calendar in 2014, she feels that the whole deal makes sense: "Yes. It is a big puzzle - and you have a lot of pieces. Clearly the interest from the Russian side was because of that Grand Prix. We have seen that for a race to have a successful start and then establish itself, you don’t only need the right market conditions from an economic perspective, you also need the right track on the sporting side, and above all you need some personal link to it."
She added: "We have seen in the past that if you have that, it makes it so much easier for Formula One to establish itself in a new territory. So that has to be a target in such an important market."
The Sauber team has been the subject of a number of rumours in recent months, particularly surrounding the financial state of the team.
Kaltenborn explained the real state of affairs: "Well, the situation is that in the summer we announced a partnership with Russian partners. I know that we did not provide that much information - and that certainly led to a lot of rumours which then took on a life of their own - but we have that partnership, and we feel that it is a partnership which will allow the team - indeed has allowed the team - to start an upward trend again."
She added: "Of course, we knew that with that partnership we are laying a base - and the partnership then gives us the opportunity to work on that base. And that’s what we’ve been doing - step by step - and we also clarified that funds have been received by the team."
Sauber currently sit eighth in the constructor's standings, 12 points behind Toro Rosso and 18 ahead of Williams.
Meanwhile Sirotkin got his first ever taste of F1 machinery today (Friday 27th September) in a demonstration run at the Sochi International Street Circuit, which is set to host a round of the Formula 1 world championship in 2014.
The Russian drove Sauber's C31 on the 700 metres of finished tarmac as part of the 12th International Investment Forum.
Speaking about the experience he said: "These were my first metres in a Formula One car, which obviously is something very special, even though it was only a short part of the Sochi track. Nevertheless I was able to gain a first impression, and this was awesome. It was fun to drive in front of such a big crowd, particularly because most of them were compatriots. Russia can be proud of this great track."
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Three Russian investors joined forces with Sauber earlier in the season, helping save them from financial trouble. Sirotkin has come with the deal and is expected to join the team as a race driver next season.
Speaking about the young driver in an interview with the Official Formula 1 website, Kaltenborn said: "We have Sergey Sirotkin under contract and it is our intention that in 2014 he will be one of our drivers. We are convinced by him: he is a young and talented driver. Of course, to say now how he will really do on the track would be mere speculation, but we feel that from the ingredients he brings - and from what everybody could see in Monza - the basis is good. With all this we have a good feeling about preparing him for his super license and then to get him in."
When asked if it was in fact a race drive that Sirotkin is destined for, Kaltenborn replied: "…he is meant to be our race driver."
Sirotkin currently competes in the Formula Renault 3.5 series and has so far had an inconsistent season. He has scored two podium finishes so far but has failed to finish in the points on a consistent basis, leaving him eighth in the overall standings with four races to go.
With Russia set to join the Formula 1 calendar in 2014, she feels that the whole deal makes sense: "Yes. It is a big puzzle - and you have a lot of pieces. Clearly the interest from the Russian side was because of that Grand Prix. We have seen that for a race to have a successful start and then establish itself, you don’t only need the right market conditions from an economic perspective, you also need the right track on the sporting side, and above all you need some personal link to it."
She added: "We have seen in the past that if you have that, it makes it so much easier for Formula One to establish itself in a new territory. So that has to be a target in such an important market."
The Sauber team has been the subject of a number of rumours in recent months, particularly surrounding the financial state of the team.
Kaltenborn explained the real state of affairs: "Well, the situation is that in the summer we announced a partnership with Russian partners. I know that we did not provide that much information - and that certainly led to a lot of rumours which then took on a life of their own - but we have that partnership, and we feel that it is a partnership which will allow the team - indeed has allowed the team - to start an upward trend again."
She added: "Of course, we knew that with that partnership we are laying a base - and the partnership then gives us the opportunity to work on that base. And that’s what we’ve been doing - step by step - and we also clarified that funds have been received by the team."
Sauber currently sit eighth in the constructor's standings, 12 points behind Toro Rosso and 18 ahead of Williams.
Meanwhile Sirotkin got his first ever taste of F1 machinery today (Friday 27th September) in a demonstration run at the Sochi International Street Circuit, which is set to host a round of the Formula 1 world championship in 2014.
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| (c) Sauber F1 Team |
Speaking about the experience he said: "These were my first metres in a Formula One car, which obviously is something very special, even though it was only a short part of the Sochi track. Nevertheless I was able to gain a first impression, and this was awesome. It was fun to drive in front of such a big crowd, particularly because most of them were compatriots. Russia can be proud of this great track."
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