Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA
Breaking news

Sirotkin seat discomfort woes finally "all sorted"

Williams Formula 1 rookie Sergey Sirotkin has another new seat this weekend but the discomfort he has suffered in his cockpit has already been solved.

Sergey Sirotkin, Williams Racing

Sergey Sirotkin, Williams Racing

Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Sergey Sirotkin, Williams Racing
Sergey Sirotkin, Williams FW41
Sergey Sirotkin, Williams FW41
Sergey Sirotkin, Williams FW41
Sergey Sirotkin, Williams Racing, arrives on the grid
Sergey Sirotkin, Williams FW41

Sirotkin has had issues throughout the 2018 season, reporting a “very painful” feeling during the Spanish Grand Prix, and had a different seat insert in Monaco as well as altered seatbelts.

He revealed that he was happy with his comfort levels in the Canadian Grand Prix earlier this month, and though he has another new seat here, it is not linked to the problem.

Asked by Motorsport.com to explain the problem, Sirotkin said: “Obviously we had some races when I was struggling with, let’s say, not being properly fixed in the car.

“I probably better not say the reasons exactly why. But straight after Barcelona race, when it kind of reached the worst point of it, we did some work with the belts and it looked like it improved quite a lot.

“And in Canada – I know Canada is easy one – but in Canada it was all sorted.

“I have another new seat this weekend, which is unrelated to the problems we had earlier in the year.

“It should be all smooth.”

Williams technical chief Paddy Lowe believes F1’s highest-ever cornering speeds are playing a part in his driver’s early issues.

He explained after Canada that several areas were being addressed, relating to “seat design, belt design, belt mountings and padding”.

“We’ve had quite a few driver fit issues with Sergey,” said Lowe. “There have been all sorts of things.

“I think one of the things I’ve concluded is that these cars are going quicker than any F1 cars have ever gone before.

“Therefore the loads on a driver are at new limits, and the demands on his driver comfort and seatbelts are higher than ever.

“If they’re not right, drivers can suffer physically.

“It’s just an increasingly difficult job to achieve the right level of comfort for the driver with the high G-loads that we have nowadays.

“And it seems to be a longer and more complicated process with Sergey than it has been before.”

Additional reporting by Oleg Karpov and Adam Cooper

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Hamilton spurred on by "openly critical" Mercedes debriefs
Next article French GP: Hamilton quickest as fiery Ericsson crash ends FP1

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA