Vitaly Petrov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vitaly Petrov
|
|
|---|---|
| Вита́лий Петро́в | |
.jpg)
Petrov at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
|
|
| Born |
Vitaly Aleksandrovich Petrov
8 September 1984 Vyborg, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Russian |
| Active years | 2010–2012 |
| Teams | Renault, Caterham |
| Entries | 58 (57 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 64 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First entry | 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| FIA World Endurance Championship career | |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Years active | 2016–2019 |
| Teams | SMP, Manor |
| Starts | 26 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 5 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 4th in 2018–19 (LMP1) |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 2007, 2016–2019 |
| Teams | Courage, SMP, Manor |
| Best finish | 3rd (2019) |
| Class wins | 0 |
Vitaly Aleksandrovich Petrov (born 8 September 1984) is a Russian racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 2010 to 2012.
Vitaly was born and grew up in Vyborg, Russia. He started his racing journey in rallying in 1998. Unlike many top drivers, he did not begin with kart racing. Petrov raced for Renault and Caterham in Formula One. He became the first Russian driver to compete in Formula One at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. People in Russia often call him the "Vyborg Rocket". He achieved his only podium finish at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.
Contents
How Vitaly Started Racing
Vitaly Petrov did not start his career in karting. This was unusual for a top driver. There was not much motorsport where he lived. He began racing in 1998. He took part in rally sprints and ice races. In 2001, he joined the Russian Lada Cup. He had a manager named Oksana Kosachenko. He stayed in the Lada Cup in 2002. He won every race and earned the maximum points.
In 2003, Petrov moved to Formula Renault championships. He raced in the Italian Formula Renault Championship. He also competed in some races of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. At the end of 2003, he finished fourth in the British Formula Renault Winter Series. He won one race there. He also made his first appearance in Euro Formula 3000.
In 2004, Vitaly focused on the first season of the Russian Lada Revolution championship. He started every race from pole position. But he finished second overall. He also raced in some Formula Renault and Euro F3000 events. In 2005, Petrov stayed in Russia. He won the Lada Revolution Championship with ten wins. He also won the Russian Formula 1600 series with five wins.
Racing in European Series
In 2006, Petrov raced in Euroseries 3000. He finished third in the championship. He earned nine podiums in eighteen races. He won four races at different tracks. He also made his debut in the GP2 Series for David Price Racing. He joined the team from the German round onwards.
In 2007, he moved to Campos Grand Prix. He scored points in five races. He won his first race at Valencia. He finished 13th in the standings. He also competed in some Le Mans Series races. This included the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His car had to stop early but was still counted as 38th.
Petrov finished third in the 2008 GP2 Asia Series season. He won one race at Sepang International Circuit. He stayed with Campos for the main GP2 series. He finished seventh overall. He won a race at the Valencia Street Circuit. He also finished fifth in the 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series season. He won a sprint race in Sepang.
He continued with the team in 2009. The team was now called Barwa Addax. He finished second in the championship. He won two races at Istanbul Park and Valencia Street Circuit.
Vitaly's Formula One Career
Racing for Renault (2010–2011)
2010 Season Highlights
Vitaly Petrov joined the Renault F1 team for the 2010 season. This made him the first Russian driver in Formula One. He signed a one-year deal. He had some financial support from his father and friends. His teammate was Robert Kubica. Petrov's first race in Bahrain ended early due to a damaged suspension.
He finished his first race at the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix. He scored his first F1 points by finishing seventh. In this race, he overtook Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber in heavy rain. At the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix, he started ninth. He had a collision and a puncture. But he set the fastest lap of the race.
.jpg)
In Hungary, Petrov qualified seventh, ahead of his teammate. He finished the race in fifth place. In Belgium, he started 23rd after a crash in qualifying. He moved up 14 places to finish ninth. This was his third points finish in a row. He retired from the Japanese and Korean Grands Prix after crashes. In the final race in Abu Dhabi, Petrov finished sixth. He stayed ahead of title contenders Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber. This helped Sebastian Vettel win the championship.
2011 Season Highlights
After the 2010 season, Renault decided to keep Petrov for 2011. He signed a two-year deal. The team was renamed 'Lotus Renault GP'. His teammate, Robert Kubica, was injured. Nick Heidfeld joined Petrov for the start of the season.
In the first race in Australia, Petrov qualified sixth. He achieved his only Formula One podium finish, coming in third place. In Malaysia, he went off track and crashed. In China, his car had a technical problem in qualifying. He started tenth and finished ninth. He scored more points with an eighth place in Turkey.
In Monaco, Petrov was taken to hospital after a crash. He was released the same day. He returned to race in Canada and finished fifth. He had a tough race in Valencia, finishing 15th. He finished 12th in the British Grand Prix. In Germany, he qualified for the final part of qualifying and finished ninth. He finished ninth again in Belgium. In Italy, he retired after a crash on the first lap. He finished ninth in Japan.
In Korea, Petrov crashed into Michael Schumacher. This caused a safety car. He received a penalty for the next race. He finished 11th in the first Indian Grand Prix. After the Abu Dhabi race, Petrov spoke about the team's performance. He later apologized for his comments. He finished the season with a tenth-place finish in Brazil. He ended the season in tenth place in the championship standings.
In December 2011, it was announced that Petrov would not race for the team in 2012.
Racing for Caterham (2012)
On 17 February 2012, Petrov joined the Caterham F1 Team. He replaced Jarno Trulli and partnered Heikki Kovalainen. Petrov qualified 20th for the Australian Grand Prix. He had to retire from the race due to a steering problem. In Malaysia, Petrov finished 16th, ahead of his teammate. The Caterham car was not as fast as other teams. But it was faster than Marussia and HRT.
Petrov finished 18th in the Chinese Grand Prix. He was again ahead of Kovalainen. In Bahrain, Petrov qualified much faster than the closest Marussia. He finished the race in 16th place.
The Spanish Grand Prix was the first time Petrov qualified ahead of his teammate. However, he finished behind him in the race. In Monaco, Petrov retired early due to an electrical problem. This was his second retirement of the season.
In Canada, Petrov qualified 19th. He finished the race in the same position. In the European Grand Prix, Petrov was running as high as tenth. This would have given Caterham their first Formula One point. But he was involved in a collision and finished 13th.
After getting used to the car, Petrov started to perform better than his teammate. He finished ahead of Kovalainen in four of the last five races.
In the final race of the season in Brazil, Petrov finished 11th. This was his best result of the season. He made an important pass on Marussia's Charles Pic. This helped Caterham finish 10th in the Constructors' Championship. This position was worth millions more in prize money.
Petrov did not stay with Caterham for the 2013 season. The team signed Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde.
Racing in DTM
Petrov signed with Mercedes to race in the German touring car series DTM. He raced for one year in 2014. He did not score any points and finished last in the Drivers' Championship. After this, he left the sport.
Personal Life
Since 2007, Vitaly Petrov has lived in Valencia, Spain. This is where he lived when he was a Formula One driver.
He is known in Russia as the "Vyborg Rocket". Vitaly Petrov also voiced a character in the Russian version of the 2011 Pixar movie Cars 2.
Vitaly's brother, Sergei, is a music composer. He studied at Vienna's Conservatory. Vitaly's father, Aleksandr, was a businessman and local politician in Vyborg. Vitaly had to step down from his role as a temporary steward at the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix due to a family matter.
Images for kids
-
Petrov at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
-
Vitaly Petrov winning his first race of the 2009 GP2 Series season in Turkey.
-
Vitaly Petrov driving for Renault at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. He was the first Russian to race in Formula One.
-
Vitaly Petrov driving for Renault at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.
-
Vitaly Petrov during pre-season testing in Barcelona.
-
Vitaly Petrov finished fifth in the wet Canadian Grand Prix.
-
Vitaly Petrov driving for Caterham at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix.
-
Vitaly Petrov during free practice at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.
-
Vitaly Petrov at the 2012 United States Grand Prix.
-
Vitaly Petrov racing for Mücke Motorsport in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Vitali Petrov para niños
