Russian rookie believes his performances in a poor Williams car prove "that even in the really difficult moments, I can still deliver"
Thursday 6 December 2018 12:02, UK
Sergey Sirotkin does not regret making the step up to F1 despite Williams' wretched first half of the season, and says he is putting his heart into the iconic team's recovery.
The Russian also believes the experience will give him "something extra" over other drivers in the long run as he looks to build his reputation.
Williams have been the distant back-runners in F1 2018, scoring only four points, with both Sirotkin and Lance Stroll struggling in a slow and unstable FW41.
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Sirotkin, meanwhile, is the only driver yet to have notched a single point this year - despite out-qualifying his more experienced team-mate more often than not - the rookie plagued by misfortune and a lack of balance in the car.
It has been a start to a season even the most experienced of drivers would find tough to handle.
But Sirotkin, 22, is keeping his head up, adamant that he still would have joined Williams even if he had known how tough the year would be.
"It is tough and for a rookie driver it's so much easier to do the job in a car that is much easier to drive," the former F2 front-runner told reporters following the Hungarian GP.
"But at the same time it does really give you something extra that not many drivers would face in their season.
"I'm in a good position to prove something to some people, that even in the really difficult moments and really difficult situations, I can still deliver and be the guy who can pull up the team."
A heartbroken deputy team principal Claire Williams claimed the 2018 season had been "soul-destroying" for the Grove outfit, who are the sport's most successful constructor after Ferrari.
But Sirotkin, who holds a 7-5 qualifying advantage over Stroll this year, feels he has done all he can with his own performances.
"It's tough as a driver to end up in this situation, but at the same time it's been a very big challenge," he said.
"I can be more than happy with how I've recovered the situation and I really feel that I have my certain position in the team, and I do really enjoy taking this responsibility and this challenge."
The former Sauber and Renault development driver continued: "It's been so often that I think I've done a very good job, but from the outside it looks like I've not done a crumb more than just OK."
There is plenty of speculation surrounding the team for 2019 - Stroll is strongly tipped for Force India while George Russell and Robert Kubica have been linked with Williams.
But Sirotkin is still relaxed about his future.
"No one in F1 has guarantees but at the same time in the situation I am in now, the worst thing I could do is start thinking about whatever could happen," he added.
"I'm really trying to put my heart into the job, it's about patience. I don't do it just because I'm paid to be at the track from 9-6, you are doing this because you want to put your heart on track and on your laps.
"I clearly know what job I'm doing in the team and I clearly know how much the team appreciates it, and we are all on the same page. I'm quite relaxed about it."
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