Last month, Sergey Sirotkin’s confirmed nomination as Williams’ second driver alongside Lance Stroll in 2018 was met quite predictably with a fair amount of jeering by Formula 1 fans.
 A wave of one-sided opinions hit the Grove-based outfit and buried the team and the 22-year-old Russian under a pile of ‘pay driver’ charges. Williams’ senior management went out of its way to push back on the derogatory assertion, ensuring Sirotkin had been chosen solely on his merit and the skills he displayed during the outfit’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi last year. Indeed, at last Thursday’s FW41 presentation in London, both Claire Williams and Paddy Lowe reiterated their firm belief in the young rookie’s talent, Sirotkin’s lavish support from Russian bank SMP notwithstanding. However, while deputy team principal Claire Williams insisted a ‘pay driver’ label was unwarranted and unfair, she also expressed her appreciation towards Sirotkin’s backers for boosting Williams’ coffers with a justification that, while it perhaps defeated the purpose of her ‘pay driver’ denial, exposed a simple truth. “It’s nothing new in F1 that drivers come with money, and thank goodness that they do,” said Williams. “It’s great if a driver has financial interests from partners — it’s great for the team, it’s great for the driver. This is an expensive sport, not just F1 but at grassroots level, as well. “We’d miss out on so much talent coming into F1 if drivers didn’t have financial backing supporting them through the junior formulae and bringing them into F1.” Williams and its fans may disagree on the terminology, but ultimately everyone now appears to be on the same page. Sergey Sirotkin’s heavy bag of rubles matters to Williams. Just how much will depend on the new recruit’s results. If he delivers the goods, he will be viewed by the British team’s fans as a blessing in disguise. If not, Williams will get to keep the money. Thank goodness for that! Phillip van Osten |
