Vandoorne: 'Williams made the right choice with Sirotkin'

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Stoffel Vandoorne believes Williams' new recruit Sergey Sirotkin is the real deal and fully deserves his chance to race in Formula 1.

Williams insists its choice of awarding the Russian a seat alongside Lance Stroll was warranted by his performance against Robert Kubica at the Abu Dhabi post-season test.

Sirotkin won seat with 'flawless' test, says Williams CEO

Many are still debating Sirotkin's merits however, believing the 22-year-old owes his graduation to F1 to the generous support package provided by his benefactor SMP Bank.

McLaren's Vandoorne, who raced against Sirotkin in GP2 in 2015, offered a ringing endorsement of the rookie's talent.

"Williams made the right choice," the Belgian told La Derniere Heure.

" I raced against Sergey in the junior categories and I can tell you he is a very good driver. He's fast and he works hard to improve. Honestly, Sergey is much faster than many people think."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.