Sergey Sirotkin announces retirement as driver

Former Formula 1 driver Sergey Sirotkin has announced his retirement from racing.

The Russian, 27, drove for Williams in 2018 but lost that seat at the end of the year.

He subsequently served as reserve driver for McLaren and Renault, raced a prototype for the Russian SMP Racing program at Le Mans, and in 2020 drove a Ferrari 488 GT3 in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.

But Sirotkin now admits that nothing will ever compare favourably to Formula 1.

"I was 23 years old and the dream that I had been striving for all of my life ended," he said.

"As a sane person, and considering the global issues in our lives, I suddenly realise that my highest achievements are already behind me.

"Of course, after Formula 1 I had some very strong races and even at some point some very good career prospects in other series," Sirotkin added.

"But one way or another, I realised that I would not achieve more than I already had. It was a turning point when I realised I needed to look wider and not limit my growth and achievements to a racing career alone."

Sirotkin says one of his current main focuses is his own racing academy - S35 Racing - in addition to a role with the Russian automobile federation.

"Will I return to racing, as I am often asked? The answer is no - you should not expect to see me racing again. As much as I enjoy driving, I don’t see it as a real opportunity for my development, even in the medium term.

"Therefore, I see no reason to spend time and effort on this. It would be more useful if I directed my energy in a different direction."