Sergey Sirotkin will drive for Sauber in opening practice at the Russian GP

Sergey Sirotkin will drive for Sauber in opening practice for next month’s inaugural Russian Grand Prix, it has been confirmed.

The 19-year-old is therefore making his F1 debut more than a year after he was named by the Swiss team as a possible driver for the current season.

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Sirotkin’s fast-track to the top was first suggested in July last year, when Sauber announced commercial and technical partnerships with three organisations backed by the Russian state, one of which – the National Institute of Aviation Technologies – is headed by his father.

The partnerships have yet to be realised, however, with ongoing unrest in Ukraine cited for the delay. Whether they ever will remains to be seen, with speculation at the Italian GP suggesting that Canadian fashion mogul Lawrence Stroll is in talks to buy Sauber.

Moreover, Sirotkin’s case hasn’t been helped by the arrivals of, first, Giedo van der Garde as Sauber’s reserve driver and then Simona di Silvestro, who also has her sights set on a 2015 race seat.

Even so, an appearance by the Formula Renault 3.5 driver – Sirotkin currently lies fifth in the standings and recently won his first race in the category in Moscow – at Sochi carries obvious benefits.

The youngster gained his first taste of F1 there almost a year ago, when he gave a demonstration run on a section of the new 5.853km layout.