In July 2013, Sirotkin joined the Sauber Formula One team, with the aim of participating in Friday sessions in 2013 with a view to making his race début, and a full race seat for the season. He stayed in his role as test driver in 2014. Sirotkin participated in tests that took place in Bahrain on 8 April, where he completed 75 laps and covered a distance of over 300 kilometres, recording the 8th fastest time. This result allowed Sirotkin to get a Superlicence. Sirotkin made his race weekend debut in free practice at the 2014 Russian Grand Prix where he recorded the 17th fastest time, some four-tenths of a second slower than his more experienced teammate Adrian Sutil. Sirotkin was unable to secure a contract with Sauber for 2015 because the team completely changed its structure and selected drivers with good financing.