Sirotkin to replace quarantined Christian Lundgaard for F2 Bahrain test

Former Williams F1 driver Sergey Siroktin has been drafted in by ART Grand Prix to replace Renault junior driver Christian Lundgaard after the 18-year-old was quarantined in Tenerife, where his training camp was.

ART Grand Prix announced on Friday that Renault junior Lundgaard would miss the test on 1-3 March because the coronavirus epidemic left him stranded in Tenerife. 

The team have decided to bring in former Williams driver for the three-day test, who finished third in the 2016 GP2 season with the French team in what will be his first action in single-seater machinery since he was dropped by Williams at the end of 2018, along with spending 2019 as Renault's reserve driver.

The Russian has not raced since last year's 24 hours of Le Mans with SMP's LMP1 racing programme, which was run by ART and said that he was surprised by the call-up.

"I am very pleased to receive such an offer from ART Grand Prix," Sirotkin told autosport.com. "I admit, it was unexpected for me. I want to thank the team for choosing me among a large number of other drivers, and for its trust.

"I will be very pleased to be back behind the wheel of a racing car, and I will try to do a good job and help develop the machine with the new tyres, and in accordance with the new regulations."

Sirotkin has experience of the new 18 inch tyres new to F2 for 2020, having tested them for Renault last year.