Sergey Sirotkin finally got his first outing as a full-time Formula 1 driver in the brand new FW41 in pre-season testing.
Snow and rain limited his time in the car. However, he still completed a total of 127 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. His best time was set on Tuesday when he clocked in at 1:21.822s.
As the 15th fastest time of all the runners during the week, it was a modest start for the 22-year-old.
"It was still quite a good, productive week," he insisted. "Of course, it was not ideal in some aspects. But I believe we squeezed the best out of the situation.
"It was nice to feel how the new car behaves on the track in different conditions.
"We haven’t got the full picture of the car yet but I think we can see some strong points," he continued. "I believe we can make them even stronger, as well as correct the weaker parts.
"We collected as much data and knowledge as possible about the car. I got some feeling for the car with quite a good amount of consistent wet running, so a reasonable amount of information about the car and myself."
But the quiet start to his 2018 season has done little to win round the many detractors who have been outspoken about Sirotkin's hiring.
"I know my level, I know what my weaknesses are," Sirotkin said in response. "I know the areas in which I can and I must improve."
He added that he would be his own biggest critic if things didn't go right and the results failed to come.
"I won't hide," he insisted. "I'll be the first to recognize it and say, 'Sorry guys, you were right. I don't deserve to be here.' But I'm sure I will prove my critics wrong."
And he objected to people saying that he'd had an easy ride into Formula 1 because of his sponsorship backing from SMP Racing. Sirotkin pointed out that he'd had development roles at Sauber and Renault before finally winning a place at Williams.
©WRI2
"With Sauber it was not really a full focus on [getting into F1]," he admitted. "It came as quick as it disappeared, to be honest. I was still doing my career in World Series and GP2.
"It was not something I put all my life into. I was still racing, and winning the racing, and hitting my own targets. That’s what I was trying to continue to do.
"It was a bit more difficult with Renault last year," he acknowledged. "It was the first season I didn’t race when I was fully dedicated to the team and I worked hard for them.
"When you realise it’s not going the way you expected it to be going, it’s definitely not the best feeling," he said. "It’s a period that ended up being much more difficult than I imagined it to be.
"But I learned from it and I maximised it. And I need to thank them as well for making me the driver I am now, and getting me where I am."
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