Sirotkin: I still can’t believe it’s happening

On Thursday in Abu Dhabi, the news became official that the likeable Russian was out of a drive after it broke that he had been axed from the line-up and in 2019 Robert Kubica will replace him at the Grove outfit, the Pole managing to put together enough backing to clinch the deal.

Sirotkin told reporters, “Definitely bad news for me. It wasn’t that new, to be honest. I was informed from the team yesterday night that it was happening."

"Already last week I had a few talks with SMP Racing where we analyzed how the things were moving and honestly, I think it’s been quite obvious after those meetings that we don’t want to take part in it anymore."

“Already from last week I kind of knew it was going to happen. I had a week to prepare myself. But I couldn’t prepare myself yet, I still can’t believe it’s happening, so yeah, it is a tough moment for me. It all depends how you want to push the things."

"In the way it was developing it didn’t feel nice to take part in it, let’s say. At certain points we could push a lot more for it, but let’s say it wasn’t worth it.”

Asked what specifically made him baulk at pursuing the matter, Sirotkin said, "It’s never one thing. It’s always many things which made us think that way."

"For me as a racing driver I didn’t care about it at all, all that I cared is to be on the grid, whatever the car is, to do the best job I can, the best job for myself and the best job for the team."

“So even if I kind of saw it last week already I still had a strong trust inside that probably things will change or turn around, probably something will change and this won’t happen, but nothing changed and it happened in the end."

“I always wanted to race, for sure, I’m a pure racing driver, but it’s a package of things. There were a few questions there, let’s say.”

Plagued by a bad car all year, it would be fair to say Sirotkin was not outperformed by his teammate Lance Stroll, in fact, quite the contrary on several occasions.

Sirotkin continued, “I feel very sad today because I think, honestly I think that we did a good job. The way we started and how we reacted to that, and how we’ve been as one united team, to be honest I’m happy."

“For sure there were certain situations where I could do better, where I could drive better — everything in your life looking back in the past there’s many things you can do in your life, that’s the same in racing. But I think the way we worked and we are now, I feel so sad that I didn’t do all what I could in F1.

“I think I could do much, much more — let me say it in the way that if at some point I had another chance I’m really ready to use it and prove that I could show much more than for obvious reasons I could not do this year," added the Russian ahead of his final Grand Prix for the foreseeable future.