Sirotkin: Williams needs to get confidence back

Sergey Sirotkin is hoping “to start everything from zero” at the Bahrain Grand Prix to ignite Williams’ 2018 Formula 1 campaign after a frustrating debut in Australia.

The Russian F1 rookie saw his F1 race debut ended after just four laps when a rouge plastic bag got caught in his Williams car’s right-rear brake duct which caused his car to overheat and break.

Having endured a tough qualifying session before his nightmare F1 debut, starting a lowly 19^th place, the Russian driver is eager to use the Bahrain race as a complete reset back at a familiar circuit having competed in Sakhir during his Formula 2 days.

“It was a very tough weekend in Melbourne and I really feel like I need another shot to bring us back to where we think we deserve to be, and to start everything from zero, and to try and get some confidence back in all of us,” Sirotkin said.

“I know the track quite well and I think it suits some strong points of our car. I’m looking forward to it and let’s see what we can do.”

Williams are expected to have a better fight in Bahrain with its Mercedes engines at the power-hungry circuit against its midfield rivals after losing out in Australia. The British team endured its worst start to an F1 campaign since 2013 when it suffered its worst-ever season in the team’s history.