Sergey Sirotkin believes Wil🥂liams’ perfor♛mance at the Monaco Grand Prix proves Williams has moved past its lowest point of the 2018 Formula 1 season. 

The Russian progressed to Q2 for the second time this year and pulled off a strong performance to qualify 13th. Sirotkin’s hopes of challenging for his first F1 points were dashed when he was hit by a 10-second stop-go🎐 penalt🅘y for having his tyres fitted too late on the Monaco grid. 

He ultimately finished 17th and last but is convinced Williams has made a big step forward in performance, having endured a torrid start to the season, highlighted by its struggles at the Spanish Gra𓆉nd Prix. The Grove-based outfit currently props up the cons♑tructors’ championship in 10th place with just four points. 

"It is a very positive trend," Sirotkin explained. "Barcelona was the oneℱ-off and I really wanted to prove that. I didn't want that to upset our mentality and our motivation for all the work here a﷽nd back at the factory.

"No♎w we can confirm that Barcelona was a one-off. The project is still going on, 🧔we are there, we are fighting, which is good not just in terms of the result but also mentally for all of us.”

Sirotkin acknowledged the impo🐷rtance of Williams’ promising performance in Monaco for team morale and proving the team is moving in the right directio🍸n. 

“Up until Barcelona it was all looking very good,” he added. “We were working hard. Slowly of course, ✱but we could see little improvements here and there, we were building the base for improvements.&nbs🎉p;

“Barcelona was a big crossover for everything. It was a really outstanding track for us t💃hat highlighted our problems. I knew it𝓰 would not be the same [in Monaco but] to prove it is still a bit different. 

"It is quite important. I would feel stupid if I said this [that Spain was a one-off] and come here and it will be the same. I am happy w꧑e have proved it. I hope this result will please all the people working here and back at the factory, for whom it is a bit more difficult to follow it.”

Teammate Lance Stroll's race was hampered by two punctures which were caused by overheating brake rims as the Canadian finished one place above Siro🎀tkin in 16th.