Sergey Sirotkin’s first appearance at a Formula One test was disrupted by an unusual problem – his shoes were too small.
The Russian teenager had to switch to larger footwear after his first runs in the C33 at the Bahrain International Circuit.
“In the afternoon we had some difficulties with my shoes,” Sirotkin explained. “They were too small, so it was pretty painful when I was braking.”
“When we changed the shoes, it was still not the best and difficult to drive.”
Nonetheless Sirotkin was able to cover the necessary minimum mileage required to obtain an F1 superlicence, which will allow him to participate in grand prix weekends.
“It was not easy, but I am glad we completed the 300 kms,” he said. “We know that there is a lot of potential for improvement and we should all be happy with this.”
Sirotkin, who will begin his second season in the Formula Renault 3.5 championship this weekend, added: “It was the first time for me in Bahrain and I liked the track.”
“In comparison to what I am used to driving in World Series by Renault, I have quite a lot more engine power and more acceleration with the Sauber C33.”
Sirotkin’s best lap during the test was a 1’39.023, the eighth-fastest of the day.
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Image © Sauber
foleyger (@foleyger)
8th April 2014, 18:59
That is strange. Surely he knows what size he wears
marsianwalrus (@einariliyev)
8th April 2014, 19:05
Some people’s feet swell due to physical strain, which is something a braking foot would experience. I always found that looser shows are better for this reason when driving competitively. Good air circulation inside the shoes helps as well, as it cools the feet and also prevents the foot from sticking tightly to the insides of the shoe, causing irritation for skin.
Retired (@jeff1s)
8th April 2014, 19:05
Lol, maybe he’s got large front-feet, so do I, and needs large shoes. He should’ve bring his own racing shoes.
Clucky (@cluckyblokebird)
9th April 2014, 3:45
Large ‘front-feet’? What kind of animal are you?
Lateralus (@lateralus)
9th April 2014, 9:03
Giraffe.
Retired (@jeff1s)
10th April 2014, 15:07
Haha. I lost my words…
xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
8th April 2014, 19:12
or maybe the Sauber cockpit only warrants shoes of a certain size; I can only assume that larger shoes wouldn’t fit in the cockpit?
foleyger (@foleyger)
8th April 2014, 19:20
isn’t Sutil a tall driver? Surely he has experience of cars with Formula Renault and wud have sorted this problem out
foleyger (@foleyger)
8th April 2014, 19:20
isn’t Sutil a tall driver? Surely he has experience of cars with Formula Renault and wud have sorted this problem out
xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
8th April 2014, 19:30
I have heard about rumours of Hulk having to cut out bits of the heel so his boots fit in some cars cockpits but I can’t remember which car he was driving when he had to do this
Andy (@andycz)
8th April 2014, 20:02
I think it was in Sauber last year.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
8th April 2014, 21:55
Was just reading last week about Derek Warwick having this problem 25 years ago – good old Adrian Newey had made the cockpit so small his boots wouldn’t fit in…
Formula 1’s minimum weight limit, by Nigel Roebuck (Motor Sport)
…but less grip?
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
8th April 2014, 22:07
Got the wrong team, I meant Ross Brawn! (before I get any snotty letters written in pencil)
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
8th April 2014, 21:56
@foleyger sometimes it differs from brand to brand… it’s still a very weird problem :P
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
8th April 2014, 22:51
Maybe it’s because he’s so young his feet are still growing.
sato113 (@sato113)
9th April 2014, 0:04
or maybe the team or his physio brought the wrong size shoes to the test. i doubt a driver is the one who carries his outfit and equipment to the circuits.
Stephen Higgins
8th April 2014, 19:02
Try pulling the tongue out, Sergay.
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
8th April 2014, 19:41
whoa man, easy there…
Cole (@cole)
8th April 2014, 19:30
Wasn´t Hulkemberg whose feet wouldn´t fit the cockpit and had to cut his shoes last season?
James (@chairmanmeowmeow)
8th April 2014, 19:52
Well he does have some big shoes to fill.
Julian (@julianwins)
9th April 2014, 2:11
Zing +1 for first pun!
DD42
8th April 2014, 19:54
I knew Russia had financial troubles but I didn’t realise they were this bad.. Poor guy
Matt (@mattf1f)
8th April 2014, 19:58
Sirotkin thought it wouldn’t be too difficult to jump in the shoes of Sutil and I can’t blame him for that. It’s just that the shoes don’t fit.
DaveW (@dmw)
8th April 2014, 20:22
Not satisfied with forced-dieting, the teams are requiring foot-binding to reduce mass and improve packaging of the car.
Tim (@grez76)
8th April 2014, 20:29
Yeah that’s going too far! Pastor’s frontal lobotomy didn’t work out for him either ;-)
Tim M (@tim-m)
8th April 2014, 22:58
Wow. That’s pretty funny :)
Julian (@julianwins)
9th April 2014, 2:12
+1
bull mello (@bullmello)
9th April 2014, 0:00
At least Sirotkin’s lap times were decent.
AbeyG (@1abe)
9th April 2014, 5:55
Well, no pain, no gain Sergey!
JustinF1 (@justinf1)
9th April 2014, 6:13
If he doesn’t know how to buy racing shoes, .that’s not a good sign surely ,. .