Vitaly Petrov

Vitaly Petrov began his racing career competing in various rally sprints and ice racing. Crowned Russian Rally Sprint champion in 2001, he went on to win the Russian Lada Cup in the following year. In the years that followed, Petrov won as well as attained various top positions in several important racing events such as Formula Russia, the Russian Sports Car Championship, the Russian Formula 1600 Championship, the GP2 Series, the Euroseries 3000 and also the Italian Formula 3000. However, unlike most of his rivals and peers who were already making waves in international karting, Petrov, was still wet behind the ears when he entered GP2. Attributed largely to inadequate motor sporting opportunities and racing infrastructure on Russia's relatively modest racing scene. No wonder then he is perhaps the only Formula One driver to have made his bones racing a Lada!

After a successful GP2 career, Petrov finally graduated to F1, joining the Renault F1 Team in 2010. With this, the 25 year old has stepped into the pages of F1 history as the first Russian driver to compete in Formula One. 2009 has been great for Vitaly Petrov, his consistent performance and superb form has enabled him to outperform even his team buddy Romain Grosjean. His inclusion in F1 has brought considerable funding for his team, which definitely needs all the sponsors it can get, and opens up a huge new market for the sport in his home nation, Russia. Though he may have already been labelled as a compromise by his detractors, he has proved that he's not another mediocre driver behind the wheels of a fast car. A greenhorn as compared to his peers and competing against a formidable team mate, Petrov shows a lot of determination, a natural flair and positive attitude. The fact that he's made it so far definitely proves he's got the drive and that his best is yet to come. Our advice to him, stay consistent with the scores, stay ahead and best of luck.