"Impatient" Aitken made first contact with Williams over F1 seat
Jack Aitken has revealed his “impatience” prompted him to make first contact with Williams about replacing George Russell in Bahrain this weekend for his Formula 1 debut.
Campos Formula 2 driver Aitken will make his first grand prix start on Sunday in Bahrain after being drafted in by Williams in the wake of Russell’s switch to Mercedes.
Russell is replacing Lewis Hamilton for the weekend after the seven-time world champion tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
Mercedes struck a deal with Williams to release Russell for this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix, paving the way for reserve driver Aitken to step into the Williams seat.
“It’s been a busy 48 hours or so, but I’m happy now everything is sorted,” Aitken said.
“I can just focus on getting the job done. I’m really excited.”
Aitken revealed that once news of Hamilton’s positive test emerged and Russell became an option for Mercedes, he was quick to get in touch with Williams about the seat.
“Such was my impatience that I actually contacted the team and said, what’s going on?” Aitken revealed.
“That was on Tuesday afternoon, and they just said, ‘we’re assessing the situation, we’ll get back to you, just sit tight’.
“So I sat tight for several hours, and was like, come on! Eventually, it stretched out overnight and in the morning on Wednesday, confirmation came through.
“It was announced half an hour later or something. It all happened quite quickly.”
Motorsport.com understands that Aitken was always going to get the Williams drive in the event of Russell moving up to Mercedes, with no consideration being given to other drivers such as Stoffel Vandoorne and Nico Hulkenberg.
Friday’s running in Bahrain will mark Aitken’s second time in the Williams FW43 car following his appearance in practice for the Styrian Grand Prix earlier this year.
After completing another seat fit and adjustment on Wednesday, Aitken said the car was “feeling pretty good”.
“I did FP1 in Austria, so it was just a case of checking everything was as I remember it,” Aitken said.
“We have the luxury of a lot more time to get prepared and settled in, so it’s been pretty smooth so far.
“The goal for the team hasn’t changed. We want to be trying to get up into the fight with the midfield runners, and hopefully if there’s a bit of chaos and luck, hopefully some points.
“We’re all going to be pushing for that, the same as always.”
Related video
Leclerc "could bet on a win" by Russell at Mercedes
Hamilton "not feeling great" with mild COVID-19 symptoms
The remarkable qualities that propelled Kubica’s F1 comeback
It’s easy to look at Robert Kubica’s second Formula 1 career and feel a sense of sadness that he didn’t reach the heights for which he seemed destined. But as Ben Anderson discovered, performance and results are almost meaningless in this context – something more fundamental and incredible happened…
The humbling changes Ricciardo made to deliver the goods for McLaren
From being lapped by his own teammate in Monaco to winning at Monza, it’s been a tumultuous first season at McLaren for Daniel Ricciardo. But, as he tells STUART CODLING, there’s more to the story of his turnaround than having a lovely summer holiday during Formula 1's summer break...
The potential benefits of losing the F1 constructors' title
As the battle continues to rage over the F1 2021 drivers' championship, teams up and down the grid are turning their attentions to the prize money attributed to each position in the constructors' standings. But F1's sliding scale rules governing wind tunnel and CFD use will soften the blow for those who miss out on the top places
The invisible enemy that's made Hamilton's title charge tougher
After winning his past few Formula 1 titles as a canter, Lewis Hamilton currently trails Max Verstappen by eight points heading into the final double-header of 2021. Although Red Bull has been his biggest on-track challenge, Hamilton feels that he has just as much to grapple with away from the circuit
Why F1's inconvenient penalties have to stay
OPINION: Quibbles over the length of time taken by Formula 1's stewards over decisions are entirely valid. But however inconvenient it is, there can be no questioning the importance of having clearly defined rules that everyone understands and can stick to. Recent events have shown that ambiguity could have big consequences
The mistakes Red Bull cannot afford to repeat in F1 2021's title fight climax
OPINION: Red Bull has had Formula 1’s fastest package for most of 2021, but in several of the title run-in events it has wasted the RB16B’s potential. It cannot afford to do so again with Lewis Hamilton motoring back towards Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings with two rounds remaining
Qatar Grand Prix driver ratings
Qatar was a virtual unknown for most as Formula 1 made its inaugural visit to the Gulf state, and tyre management quickly emerged as an even more critical factor than normal. Perhaps then it should come as no surprise that two of the championship's elder statesmen produced standout drives
How Hamilton dominated in Qatar despite missing a key Mercedes advantage
There was simply no stopping Lewis Hamilton on Formula 1's first visit to Qatar. The Mercedes driver eased to pole position and led every lap to secure an utterly dominant victory - even without a key Mercedes weapon in his arsenal to increase the heat on Red Bull heading into the final two races of the gripping 2021 title race