Sergey Sirotkin says that the 2018 Williams will be “much more aggressive” than its predecessor. The British team will be the first of the F1 teams to launch their new machines. The 2018 Williams reveal event is set to take place in London next month.

Williams rookie driver Sirotkin said, “Although we announced our cooperation not so long ago, we started preparing at the Abu Dhabi test. I have seen the new car in the wind tunnel and I can say that it looks cool — much more aggressive. The simulator and other indicators confirm that a tangible step forward has been made.”

Sirotkin’s inclusion was met with a lot of criticism by the fans and experts. The Russian was chosen instead of F1 legend Robert Kubica, to be Lance Stroll’s teammate. Sirotkin did not believe that Stroll’s influence will disadvantage him in any way.

He also said, “Some people talk about the influence of his father on the team, but I do not see that within the team. I try to do my work as well as I can every day, and I’m sure that the team will see and appreciate it.”

The Russian also spoke about being chosen as Stroll’s teammate instead of Kubica. Sirotkin admitted that he wishes to form a good relationship with Williams’ new reserve driver. He said, “Robert is a very nice guy with character and charisma, which is important because we have to spend time together. He is a talented and fast driver and completely understands the nuances of working with the car, which everyone knows. I will not compare him with myself, but it’s good to have someone like him to help me to develop and also Lance and the whole team. Together we have a very good and quite young team.”