Williams: We would only put talented drivers in our car

Stroll, 19, whose career has been bankrolled by his fashion billionaire father Lawrence and Sergey Sirotkin, the 22-year-old Russian rookie who will bring €15-million in sponsorship to the team, are due to form the most inexperienced line-up on the F1 grid this year.

Williams said at the launch event, "We would only put talented drivers in our car. This is a dangerous business and we are not going to put someone in just because they come with money."

"Our decision-making process is so much more complex than just because a driver has cash, and it would be incredibly naïve for anyone to make the statement to say we needed a pay driver."

"We are an independent team and yes, sponsorship is really difficult to come by these days... so clearly if a driver has some financial backing then that is an added bonus, but it’s not the foundation for a decision-making process at Williams."

"The vocab used around pay drivers is wrong, inappropriate and unnecessary, and it puts negativity round a driver that we just should not be doing in this sport anymore."

"We don’t make these decisions lightly and if we had any doubt over our line-up we certainly would not be putting a driver in our car," added Williams.

The family-owned team, founded by Frank Williams, have to pay for their Mercedes engines and compete against manufacturers with far bigger budgets.

They have finished fifth overall for the past two seasons, after ending up third overall in 2015, and last won a grand prix in 2012.

The team - that won titles in the 1980s and 1990s with a string of champions including Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell. Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill - have had to budget carefully in recent years and have indulged ‘pay drivers’ to help fund their seasons in the past and in 2018 as well.