Jack Aitken has expressed his “impatience” and asked to first contact Williams about replacing George Russell in Bahrain this week for entry into his contact Formula 1 with Vimals.
Campus Formula 2 driver Aitken will kick off his first Grand Prix in Bahrain on Sunday after being drafted by Williams following Russell’s conversion to a Mercedes.
Russell is replacing Lewis Hamilton over 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 week’s Sakhir Grand Prix, paving the way for reserve driver Itken to slot on Williams’ seat.
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“He’s been busy for 48 hours or more, but now I’m glad everything has been sorted out,” Aitken said.
“I can just focus on getting things done. I’m really excited.”
ITK revealed that once news of Hamilton’s positive test came out and Russell became a substitute for Mercedes, he was quick to contact Williams about the meeting.
“I was so impatient that I actually approached the team and said, ‘What’s going on?'” ITK revealed.
“It was Tuesday afternoon, and they just said, ‘We’ll assess the situation, we’ll come back to you, just sit tight’.
“So I sat tight for several hours, and was coming, come on! Finally, it stretched overnight and on Wednesday morning, got confirmed.
“It was announced half an hour later or something. It all happened quickly.”
Os Tosport understands that in the event of Russell moving towards a Mercedes, Atkinson was always going to get a Williams drive, other drivers like Stoffel Wandurne and Nico Hulkenberg were not considered.
The Atken will be marked for the second time in a Williams FW43 car running in Bahrain on Friday after appearing in practice for the Styrian Grand Prix earlier this year.
After completing the second seat fit and adjustment on Wednesday, Aitken said the car “looks much better”.
“I did FP1 in Austria, so it was a case of checking everything I remember,” Itke said.
“We have the luxury of a lot more time to get ready and settle down, so it’s been pretty easy so far.
“The goal for the team hasn’t changed. We want to try to get a fight with the midfield runners, and hopefully if there’s a bit of chaos and luck, hopefully there are some issues.
“We’ll all push for it, as always.”
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