Vitaly Petrov

Vitaly Petrov
Vitaly Petrov
Born	Vitaly Aleksandrovich Petrov; September 8, 1984 (age 42); Vyborg, Russia
Occupation	Racing driver
Years active	2010–2012 (Formula One)
Known for	First Russian Formula One driver

Vitaly Aleksandrovich Petrov (; born 8 September 1984) is a Russian racing driver who participated in Formula One between and .

Originating from Vyborg, Petrov launched his motorsport journey in rallying, foregoing the traditional path through competitive kart racing. He drove for both Renault and Caterham, making history as the first Russian competitor in Formula One during the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. In his homeland, he earned the nickname "Vyborg Rocket" and claimed his only podium at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.

Early career

Petrov's entry into motorsport was unconventional, as he did not start with karting due to the scarcity of racing opportunities in his area. His initial competitions began in 1998 with rally sprints and ice racing events. By 2001, he took part in the Russian Lada Cup and appointed Oksana Kosachenko as his manager. He dominated the 2002 season by winning every race, accumulating a flawless total of 500 points.

In 2003, Petrov primarily competed in the Italian Formula Renault Championship with Euronova Racing, concluding the season 19th overall. Additionally, he entered several rounds of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and the Formula Renault 2.0 UK championship, finishing fourth in the British Formula Renault Winter Series with one victory. That year also marked his debut in Euro Formula 3000 at the Circuito di Cagliari.

The following year, Petrov concentrated on the inaugural Russian Lada Revolution series, securing pole position for every race but ultimately finishing second overall. He also made selective appearances in Formula Renault and Euro F3000 competitions. In 2005, he clinched titles in both the Lada Revolution Championship with ten wins and the Russian Formula 1600 series with five victories.

European series

During 2006, Petrov raced in Euroseries 3000 for Euronova Racing, achieving third place in the championship with nine podium finishes and four victories at circuits including Hungaroring, Mugello Circuit, Silverstone Circuit, and Circuit de Catalunya. He also took part in the Brno round of the 2006 F3000 International Masters season, where he earned pole position. That year marked his debut in the GP2 Series with David Price Racing, stepping in mid-season to replace Olivier Pla.

In 2007, Petrov transferred to Campos Grand Prix, partnering with Giorgio Pantano. He scored points in five races and recorded his first win at Valencia, ending the season 13th overall. Additionally, he competed in several events within the Le Mans Series, including the prestigious 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, where his car retired after completing 198 laps.

Competing for Campos in the 2008 GP2 Asia Series season, Petrov secured third place overall with one victory at Sepang International Circuit, trailing champion Romain Grosjean and Sébastien Buemi. Staying with Campos for the main GP2 Series that year, he finished seventh in the standings, winning at the Valencia Street Circuit. In the 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series season, he placed fifth overall, adding a win at the Sepang sprint race to his record.

Continuing with the team—now renamed Barwa Addax—for the 2009 GP2 Series season, Petrov achieved runner-up status behind Nico Hülkenberg. His campaign included two wins at both Istanbul Park and the Valencia Street Circuit.

2010

Vitaly Petrov was considered by Sauber, Renault, and Campos for the 2010 Formula One season. On 31 January, he officially signed with Renault, becoming the first Russian driver to compete in F1. His contract was initially for one year, with an option to extend for an additional two years. Although he had strong ties to Campos, Petrov ultimately chose Renault despite limited major sponsorship from Russia beyond support from his father and close associates. Interestingly, Vladimir Putin had previously driven a Renault F1 car, and on 4 January 2011, it was disclosed that Sergei Chemezov of Rostec and Leonid Mikhelson of Novatek would provide financial backing to both Renault F1 and Petrov.^[1] Alexander Petrov, Vitaly’s father, acknowledged that his close associate Ilya Traber—who has connections to Putin—played a significant role as a sponsor of Renault F1 and Petrov.^[2]

Petrov targeted scoring points by mid-season, partnering with teammate Robert Kubica. At his debut race during the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, he qualified seventeenth but retired due to suspension damage likely caused by hitting a kerb while chasing points. He earned his first championship points by finishing seventh at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he impressively overtook Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber in challenging wet conditions. At the Turkish Grand Prix, starting ninth, Petrov suffered a puncture following contact with Fernando Alonso; despite setting the fastest lap, he finished fifteenth.

In Hungary, Petrov qualified seventh ahead of Kubica and secured a fifth-place finish. Although he crashed during qualifying in Belgium and started from 23rd position, he recovered well to finish ninth, marking his third consecutive race in the points. He retired early in Japan after colliding with Nico Hülkenberg and crashed out while running seventh in Korea. At Abu Dhabi, Petrov qualified tenth ahead of Kubica and capitalized on an early safety car pit stop to finish ahead of title contenders Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber, influencing their championship prospects and assisting Sebastian Vettel’s title victory.^[3]

2011

Following the 2010 season, Renault team principal Éric Boullier suggested that Petrov was likely to continue with the team in 2011.<ref>On 22 December 2010, Petrov was confirmed on a two-year contract.<ref> The team adopted the name 'Lotus Renault GP' after securing sponsorship from Lotus Cars. After teammate Robert Kubica suffered severe injuries in a rally accident, Petrov’s new teammate for the start of the season became Nick Heidfeld.

At the opening race in Australia, Petrov achieved his career-best qualifying position of sixth and earned his sole F1 podium by finishing third behind Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.<ref> In Malaysia, he remained competitive for points until an off-track incident damaged his steering column. During qualifying for the , a technical malfunction prevented him from entering Q3 despite recording the fourth fastest time in Q2; this resulted in starting tenth on the grid and finishing ninth through effective race management.<ref> Other points finishes included eighth place in Turkey and eleventh in Spain.

In Monaco, Petrov crashed from sixth position after involvement with multiple cars and was hospitalized briefly before being released on the same day.<ref> He bounced back with a fifth-place result at Canada. Subsequent races produced mixed outcomes: 15th in Valencia, 12th at the , ninth in Germany, and ninth at the . At Monza, Petrov qualified seventh but was eliminated in a first-lap collision. The team faced difficulties in Singapore where he qualified 18th and finished 17th, followed by a ninth place finish in Japan.

During the , Petrov qualified eighth but retired after colliding with Michael Schumacher, marking their third contact that season. He received a five-place grid penalty for the inaugural , starting sixteenth and finishing eleventh—just missing out on points ahead of teammate Bruno Senna. After finishing 13th in Abu Dhabi, Petrov publicly criticized Renault for insufficient development progress and strategic errors but later apologized to team personnel; Boullier resolved the issue.<ref> Petrov concluded the season tenth at Brazil but was surpassed by Adrian Sutil for ninth overall.

In December 2011, it was announced that Romain Grosjean would join Lotus Renault alongside Kimi Räikkönen for , leaving Petrov without a drive.<ref>

Caterham (2012)

On 17 February 2012, Petrov signed with the Caterham F1 Team, taking over from Jarno Trulli and joining forces with Heikki Kovalainen. During the Australian Grand Prix, he secured 20th on the grid but retired on lap 36 due to a steering malfunction. In Malaysia, Petrov completed the race in 16th place, outpacing Kovalainen and demonstrating Caterham’s competitive edge over Marussia and HRT despite ongoing midfield challenges.

At the Chinese Grand Prix, Petrov qualified 20th and finished 18th, once again ahead of his teammate Kovalainen, who lost time during a pit stop. In Bahrain, he outqualified the nearest Marussia driver by more than a second, underscoring Caterham’s position as the fastest new team for the third year running, and ended the race in 16th place.

Petrov managed to qualify ahead of Kovalainen for the first time at the Spanish Grand Prix but ultimately finished behind him. Monaco proved difficult; after qualifying almost nine-tenths slower than his teammate, Petrov retired on lap 15 due to electrical problems.

In Canada, he qualified 19th, ahead of Jean-Éric Vergne’s Toro Rosso, but finished in his starting position, a lap down. Starting from the tenth row at the European Grand Prix, Petrov climbed as high as tenth place—potentially earning Caterham its inaugural point—but a collision with Daniel Ricciardo caused him to drop to thirteenth.

After early difficulties competing with Kovalainen, Petrov improved during the season’s final stages, finishing ahead of his teammate in four of the last five races. His best performance came in Brazil where he secured eleventh place after passing Marussia’s Charles Pic late in the event. This result contributed to Caterham reclaiming tenth in the Constructors’ Championship, which significantly increased their prize money earnings.

Petrov was not retained for the 2013 season; both he and Kovalainen were replaced by Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde.

DTM

Petrov joined Mercedes to compete in the German touring car championship DTM. After completing a season without scoring points and finishing last in the Drivers' Championship standings, he exited the series following just one year.

Personal life

Since 2007, Petrov has been based in Valencia, Spain, where he also lived throughout his Formula One career.

Nicknamed the "Vyborg Rocket" in Russia, Petrov lent his voice to a character modeled after himself for the Russian version of Pixar’s 2011 film Cars 2.

His brother Sergei is a composer who studied at Vienna's Conservatory. Their father Aleksandr was a prominent businessman and municipal deputy in Vyborg until his assassination in 2020. Following this tragedy, Petrov stepped down from his temporary steward role at the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix.

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2001	Lada Cup Russia	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	1st
2002	Lada Cup Russia	Template:Proper name	5	5	5	5	5	500	1st
	VW Polo Cup	?	1	1	?	?	1	?	?
	Formula RUS	10 Duimov	2	2	?	?	2	41	10th
2003	Formula Renault UK Winter Series	Eurotek Motorsport	?	1	0	0	1	44	4th
	Formula Renault UK	Eurotek Motorsport	2	0	0	0	0	23	28th

Complete Formula Renault 2000 Italia results

(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole position) (Races shown in italics signify fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final Position	Points Accumulated
2003	Euronova Junior Team	VLL 27	VLL 25	MAG 16	SPA 16	SPA 18	A1R 17	A1R 20	MIS 15	MIS 14	VAR 18	ADR Ret	MNZ 5						19th	12
2004	Euronova Junior Team	VLL 1 29	VLL 2 25	VAR 10	MAG Ret	SPA 1	SPA 2	MNZ1 1	MNZ1 2	MNZ1 3	MIS 1	MIS 2	MIS 3	ADR	HOC 1	HOC 2	MNZ2 1	MNZ2 2	28th	2

Complete Euro F3000/Euroseries 3000 results

(key) (Entries in bold represent pole positions) (Entries in italics indicate fastest laps)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Final Standing	Points Total
2003	Euronova Racing	NÜR	MAG	PER	MNZ	SPA	DON	BRN	JER	CAG 10			22nd	0
2004	Euronova Racing	BRN	EST	JER	MNZ	SPA	DON Ret	DIJ	ZOL	NÜR1	NÜR2		NC	0
2006	Euronova Racing	ADR 1 6	ADR 2 11	IMO 1 DNS	IMO 2 3	SPA 1 9	SPA 2 4	HUN 1 7 \| ... (remaining races omitted for brevity) ...	style = "background : #ffdf9f"	3rd	style = "background : #ffdf9f"	72

Full GP2 Series Performance

(legend) (Events in bold denote pole position) (Events in italics mark fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	Final Position	Total Points
2006	DPR	VAL FEA	VAL SPR	IMO FEA	IMO SPR	NÜR FEA	NÜR SPR	CAT FEA	CAT SPR	MON FEA	SIL FEA	SIL SPR	MAG FEA	MAG SPR	HOC FEA 15	HOC SPR 15	HUN FEA 15	HUN SPR 10	IST FEA 16	IST SPR 18	MNZ FEA Ret	MNZ SPR 12	28th	0
2007	Campos Grand Prix	BHR FEA 14	BHR SPR 11	CAT FEA 10	CAT SPR 16^†	MON FEA (6)	MAG FEA (5)	MAG SPR (5)
SIL FEA (9)	SIL SPR (9)	NÜR FEA (11)	NÜR SPR (17)	HUN FEA (Ret)	HUN SPR (9)	IST FEA (17)	IST SPR (5)	MNZ FEA (12)	MNZ SPR (12)	SPA FEA (9)	SPA SPR (11)	VAL FEA (1)	VAL SPR (8)	13th	21
Barwa International Campos Team	style="background:#DFFFDF;" \|CAT FEA(6)	style="background:#EFCFFF;" \|CAT SPR(Ret)	style="background:#DFFFDF;" \|[[2008 Istanbul Park_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_\|IST_FEA}}(5)	style="background:#DFDFDF;" \|[[2008 Istanbul Park_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_GP_Track_Guide_\|IST_SPR}}(2)	style="background:#EFCFFF;" \|MON FEA(Ret)	style="background:#CFCFFF;" \|[[2008 Monaco_gp_round#MON_SPR_MON_SPR_MON_SPR_MON_SPR_MON_SPR_MON_SPR_MON_SPR_MON_SPR_MON_SPR_MON_SPR_MON_SPR_\|MON SPR}}(15)	style="background:#DFFFDF;" \|Magny-Cours_round#MAG_FEA_MAG_FEA_MAG_FEA_MAG_FEA_MAG_FEA_MAG_FEA_MAG_FEA_MAG_FEA_MAG_FEA_MAG_FEA_MAG_FEA_MAG_FEA_MAG_F EA Template:Small (4)	style = " background : # CFCFFF ; " > [ [ Magny - Cours _round # MAG _SPR _ MAG _SPR ] ] < br > { { small (18 < sup > † < / sup > ) } }	style = " background : # CFCFFF ; " > [ [ Silverstone _round # SIL _FEA _ SIL _FEA ] ] < br > { { small (10) } }	style = " background : # DFFFDF ; " > - [ [ Silverstone _round # SIL _SPR _ SIL _SPR ] ] < br > { { small (5) } }	style = " background : # EFCFFF ; " > [ [ Hockenheimring _round # HOC _FEA _ HOC _FEA ] ] < br > { { small (Ret) } }	style = " background : # CFCFFF ; " > [ [ Hockenheimring _round # HOC _SPR _ HOC _SPR ] ] < br > { { small (12) } }	style = " background : # EFCFFF ; " > [ [ Hungaroring _round # HUN _FEA _ HUN _FEA ] ] < br > { { small (Ret) } }	style = " background : # CFCFFF ; " > [ [ Hungaroring _round # HUN _SPR _ HUN _SPR ] ] < br > { { small (9) } }	style = " background : # FBFFBF ; " > [ [ Valencia _round # VAL _FEA _ VAL _FEA ] ] < br > { { small (1) } }	style = " background : # CFCFFF ; " > [ [ Valencia _round # VAL _SPR _ VAL _SPR ] ] < br > { { small (15 < sup > † < / sup > ) } }	style = " background : # DFFFDF ; " > [ [ Spa - Francorchamps_round # SPA_FE A ]] Template:Small (4)	style = " background : # FFDF9F ; " > [ [ Spa - Francorchamps_round # SPA_SP R ]] Template:Small (3)	style = " background : # EFCFFF ; " > [ [ Monza_round # MNZ_FE A ]] Template:Small (Ret)	style = " background : # EFCFFF ; " > [ [ Monza_round # MNZ_SP R ]] Template:Small (Ret)		7th	39
Addax Team#Barwa Addax Team	style = " background : # DFDFDF ; " > [ [ Catalunya_round # CAT_FE A ]] Template:Small (02)	style = " background : # CFCFFF ; " > [ [ Catalunya_round # CAT_SP R ]] Template:Small (09)	style = " background : # DFDFDF ; " > [ [ Monaco_round # MON_FE A ]] Template:Small (02)	style = " background : # DFFFDF ; " > [ [ Monaco_round # MON_SP R ]] Template:Small (06)	style = " background : # FBFFBF ; " > [ [ Istanbul Park_round # IST_FE A ]] Template:Small (01)	style = " background : # FFDF9F ; " > [ [ Istanbul Park_round # IST_SP R ]] Template:Small (03)	style = " background : # CFCFFF ; " > [ [ Silverstone_round # SIL_FE A ]] Template:Small (15)	style = " background : # CFCFFF ; " > [ [ Silverstone_round # SIL_SP R ]] Template:Small (10)	style = " background : # DFFFDF ; " > [ [ Nürburgring_round # NÜR_FE A ]] Template:Small (04)	style = " background : # DFFFDF ; " > [ [ Nürburgring_round # NÜR_SP R ]] Template:Small (04)	style = " background : # EFCFFF ;" >[ Hungaroring_round#HUN_F EA ]]Template:Small(Ret)	style = " background : # CFCFFF ;" >[ Hungaroring_round#HUN_SP R ]]Template:Small(12)	style = " background : # FBFFBF ;" >[ Valencia_round#VAL_FE A ]]Template:Small(01)	style = " background : # FFDF9F ;" >[ Valencia_round#VAL_SP R ]]Template:Small(03)	style = " background : # EFCFFF ;" >[ Spa-Francorchamps_round#SPA_FE A ]]Template:Small(Ret)	style= background: cfcfff; ">[ Monza_round] Ret }		02nd "	75 "

Full GP2 Asia Series standings

(legend) (Entries in bold denote pole position) (Entries in italics denote fastest lap)

Season	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final Position	Points Accumulated
2008	Barwa International Campos Team	DUB FEA DNS	DUB SPR 9	SEN FEA 5	SEN SPR 3	SEP FEA 1	SEP SPR 3	BHR FEA 10	BHR SPR 3	DUB FEA 4	DUB SPR Ret			3rd	33
2008–09	Addax Team	SHI FEA 5	SHI SPR Ret	DUB FEA 5	DUB SPR C	BHR FEA 10	BHR SPR 12	LSL FEA 3	LSL SPR 2	SEP FEA 6	SEP SPR 1	BHR FEA 19	BHR SPR 11	5th	28

Complete results at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Year

Racing Team

Co-Drivers

Vehicle

Full Formula One Results

(legend) (Entries in bold denote pole position) (Entries in italics signify fastest lap)

Year	Team	Car	Power Unit	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Drivers' Championship Position	Points
Template:F1	Renault F1 Team	Renault R30	Renault RS27-2010 2.4 V8	BHR Retired	AUS Retired	MAL Retired	CHN 7th	ESP 11th	MON 13th^†	TUR 15th	CAN 17th	EUR 14th	GBR 13th	GER 10th	HUN 5th	BEL 9th	ITA 13th	SIN 11th	JPN Retired	KOR Retired	BRA 16th	ABU 6th		13th	27

! 10th ! 37

! 19th

! 0

|} Note: Classified as finished despite not completing the race, having covered over 90% of the distance.

Full Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results

(key) (Entries in bold denote pole position) (Entries in italics represent fastest lap)

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Pos.	Points
2014	Mücke Motorsport	Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupé	HOC 17	OSC 17	HUN 17	NOR 19	MSC 18	SPL 20	NÜR 18	LAU 12	ZAN 11	HOC 18†	23rd	0

^† Although the driver did not cross the finish line, classification was granted for completing over 75% of the race distance.

Full FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Entries shown in bold indicate pole position) (Entries in italics signify fastest lap)

Year	Team	Category	Vehicle	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Final Rank	Points Earned
2016	SMP Racing	LMP2	BR Engineering BR01	Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8	SIL 8	SPA 9	LMS 3	NÜR 6	MEX Ret	COA 6	FUJ 10	SHA 7	BHR 8	9th	63

Year	Team	Category	Vehicle	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Final Rank	Points
2017	CEFC Manor TRS Racing	LMP2	Oreca 07	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	SIL 7	SPA 8	LMS Ret	NÜR 7	MEX 8	COA Ret	FUJ 7	SHA 5	BHR 5	18th	46

Year	Team	Category	Vehicle	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Final Standing	Points Accumulated
[[2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship #Season overview ‎ ‎#Results ‎ ‎#Drivers and teams ‎ ‎#Race results and standings ‎ ‎#References and external links ‎ ‎#Footnotes ‎ ‎#See also ‎ ‎#Notes ‎ ‎#Sources ‎ ‎#External links ‎ ‎#Gallery ‎ ‎#Statistics ‎ ‎#Summary ‎ ‎#Additional information ‎ ‎#Overview ‎ ‎#History ‎ ‎#Performance ‎ ‎#Timeline ‎ ‎#Achievements ‎ ‎#Records ‎](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018%E2%80%9319_FIA_World_Endurance_Championship)%7C	SMP Racing	LMP1	BR Engineering BR1	Advanced Engine Research #AER P60B Turbo V6 engine P60B Turbocharged V6, 2.4 L	style ="background:#DFFFDF;"	2018 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps SPA 5	style ="background:#EFCFFF;"	2018 24 Hours of Le Mans LMS Ret	style ="background:#EFCFFF;"	2018 6 Hours of Silverstone SIL Ret	style ="background:#DFFFDF;"	2018 6 Hours of Fuji Speedway FUJ 4	style ="background:#FFDF9F;"	2018 6 Hours of Shanghai SHA 3	style ="background:#FFDF9F;"	2019 Michelin GT Challenge at Sebring #1000 Miles of Sebring Race Report SEB 3	style ="background:#FFDF9F;"	2019 FIA World Endurance Championship #Spa-Francorchamps Race Report SPA 3	style ="background:#FFDF9F;"	2019 FIA World Endurance Championship #Le Mans Race Report LMS 3			4th	94

Complete European Le Mans Series Results

Year	Team	Category	Vehicle	Powertrain	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Overall Position	Total Points
2016	SMP Racing	LMP2	BR Engineering BR01	Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8	SIL	IMO	RBR	LEC	SPA 6	EST 3	15th	23

↑ Funding was secured after Petrov's management sought Putin’s intervention following unsuccessful attempts to attract sponsorship from nearly 500 Russian companies.
↑ Traber’s involvement demonstrates strategic private investment linked to influential Russian circles.
↑ Petrov’s tactical race execution had a notable impact on the 2010 championship outcome.

[1] Funding was secured after Petrov's management sought Putin’s intervention following unsuccessful attempts to attract sponsorship from nearly 500 Russian companies.

[2] Traber’s involvement demonstrates strategic private investment linked to influential Russian circles.

[3] Petrov’s tactical race execution had a notable impact on the 2010 championship outcome.

[1]

[2]

[3]