Sirotkin joins the AutoGP Series with Euronova Racing

Sergey Sirotkin

Euronova Racing chose their first driver for the 2012 season of the Auto GP World Series: Sergey Sirotkin will drive again for the team managed by Vincenzo Sospiri, continuing the cooperation after a staggering 2011 that saw him clinch the F.Abarth European title. Being just 16, Sirotkin will hold the new record as the youngest driver to ever take part in the Championship but the Russian talent, who is part of the Lukoil Driver Development Program, seems more than ready to face the commitment: in 2011, his second season in single-seaters, he was dominant in F.Abarth, clinching five wins and five podium finishes.

So Sergey has everything it takes to be among the frontrunners also in the Auto GP World Series, even if he will have to cope with a huge performance leap, passing from the 180 bhp of the F.Abarth to the amazing 550 bhp of the 3.4 liter Zytek engine, more than double the power! That's why Sirotkin will drive the car already this week in a brief shakedown, before heading to Monza for the collective testing on March 2.

Enzo Coloni: "When a top quality driver joins the Auto GP family I'm always happy, and there's no doubt that among the very young drivers in the European scenario Sergey is one of the most shining talents, a fact that is also proved by Lukoil choosing him for their Driver Development Program. Deciding to jump on such a challenging car at just 16 he's also showing that he's very resolute, something that I'm sure will prove very useful in such a competitive environment. The leap from the F.Abarth car to ours is a huge one, but I'm sure that following the advices of Vincenzo Sospiri Sergey will soon be able to get interesting results".

Sergey Sirotkin: "I'm very excited to be racing in Auto GP this year. It will be a big step up for me from Abarth last year but I am confident that I will be able to do well as I have seen young drivers like Ceccon have been really fast before. I tested the car at the end of last season and loved it straightaway. It's a really fast and powerful car and challenging to drive when you are on the limit. I think it is very good training for Formula 1 and that I will learn a lot from this Championship. The race format with the choice of tires and necessity of making pit-stops means I have to also think about strategy and learn skills which I did not need for Abarth. I will do a shakedown test with Euronova this week and then there is the first official test at Monza the week after. I've been training hard all winter improving my strength and endurance and can't wait for the season to start!".