Former Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin is opening a karting academy in Russia, aimed at helping young Russian drivers find their motorsport feet.

Sergey Sirotkin has decided to open a karting academy in Russia, with the opening scheduled for January 25th.

The former Williams driver spent 2019 on the Formula 1 sidelines as a reserve driver for McLaren and Renault, as well as carrying out tyre testing for Pirelli, but Sirotkin has also been keeping busy in his home country as he’s due to open up his own karting academy this week.

Based in Moscow, the Children’s Karting Academy by Sergey Sirotkin is aimed at children aged between 5 and 15 years old. This will be run as part of the SMP Racing Academy, with successful graduates given the opportunity to step up to the RAF-SMP Racing Academy and possibly the full SMP programme. SMP currently manage, or have managed, the careers of drivers such as Sirotkin, Mikhail Aleshin, Vitaly Petrov, Robert Schwartman and Irina Sidorkova.

Sirotkin has teamed up with Yuri Evgenyevich Stavrovsky, the head coach of the USSR national go-kart team in 1973-1985, and a team of experienced Russian mentor drivers in order to develop a full training programme for the youngsters.

Sirotkin’s Karting Academy will be run from the Forza One Karting Centre in Moscow, with practical classes held on the largest indoor track in Russia. Theory lessons will also be included, with classes held at the facility with video equipment.

“Karting is the basis of all motorsport disciplines, almost all drivers begin their careers from this step,” Sergey Sirotkin said of his decision to open his own karting academy.

“It is in karting that the basic skills of driving a racing car are acquired. I have gone a long way from karting to Formula 1 and I want to share my experience with novice drivers by creating the Karting Academy as part of the SMP Racing Academy.”