Vitaly Petrov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vitaly Petrov
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| Вита́лий Петро́в | |
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Petrov at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
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Vitaly Aleksandrovich Petrov
8 September 1984 Vyborg, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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| 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, which is the highest class of international racing, 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 start with kart racing. He is often called the "Vyborg Rocket" in Russia. Vitaly Petrov made history as the first Russian driver to race in Formula One. He achieved his only podium finish (a top-three result) at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.
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Early Racing Days
Vitaly Petrov began racing in 1998. He took part in rally sprints and ice races. In 2001, he joined the Russian Lada Cup. He won every race in the 2002 championship, scoring the maximum 500 points.
In 2003, Vitaly moved to Formula Renault championships. He raced in Italy and the UK. He also made his first appearance in Euro Formula 3000. In 2004, he raced in the Russian Lada Revolution championship. He started every race from the front of the grid but finished second overall. In 2005, he won both the Lada Revolution Championship and the Russian Formula 1600 series.
Racing in Europe
In 2006, Vitaly raced in Euroseries 3000. He finished third overall, with four wins and nine podiums. He also joined the GP2 Series for the first time.
In 2007, he moved to Campos Grand Prix in GP2. He won his first GP2 race in Valencia. He also raced in the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, a famous endurance race.
Vitaly finished third in the 2008 GP2 Asia Series season. He won a race in the main GP2 series at the Valencia Street Circuit. In 2009, he finished second in the GP2 championship. He won two races that year.
Formula One Career
Renault Team (2010–2011)
2010 Season
Vitaly Petrov joined the Renault F1 team for the 2010 season. This made him the first Russian driver in Formula One history. He signed a one-year deal. His teammate was Robert Kubica.
His first race was the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. He had to stop early due to damage to his car. He finished his first race at the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix, scoring his first F1 points by finishing seventh. He also passed famous drivers like Michael Schumacher in the rain.
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In Hungary, Vitaly qualified seventh and finished fifth. In Belgium, he started 23rd but moved up 14 places to finish ninth. This was his third race in a row where he scored points. At the last race in Abu Dhabi, he finished sixth. He held off other drivers, which helped Sebastian Vettel win the championship.
2011 Season
Vitaly stayed with the Renault team for 2011. The team changed its name to 'Lotus Renault GP'. His teammate, Robert Kubica, was injured. So, Nick Heidfeld joined the team.
In the first race in Australia, Vitaly qualified sixth. He then achieved his best Formula One result, finishing third. This was his only podium finish in F1.
In Malaysia, he crashed out of the race. In China, he started tenth and finished ninth. He scored more points in Turkey and Germany. In Monaco, Vitaly was taken to the hospital after a crash. He was released the same day and finished fifth in the next race in Canada.
He finished the 2011 season in tenth place in the championship standings. After the season, Vitaly left the team.
Caterham Team (2012)
In 2012, Vitaly joined the Caterham F1 Team. He replaced Jarno Trulli and partnered with Heikki Kovalainen. He qualified 20th for the first race in Australia but had to retire.
In Malaysia, he finished 16th, ahead of his teammate. The Caterham car was faster than some other new teams. He continued to finish races cleanly, often ahead of his teammate.
At the 2012 European Grand Prix, Vitaly was running as high as tenth. This would have given Caterham their first F1 point. However, he was involved in a collision and finished 13th.
In the final race of the season in Brazil, Vitaly finished 11th. He made an important pass on another driver, Charles Pic. This helped Caterham finish tenth in the Constructors' Championship. This position was worth millions of pounds more in prize money for the team.
Vitaly Petrov did not continue with Caterham for the 2013 season.
DTM Racing
In 2014, Vitaly Petrov raced in the DTM series in Germany. He drove for Mercedes. He raced for one year but did not score any points.
Personal Life
Since 2007, Vitaly Petrov has lived in Valencia, Spain.
He is known as the "Vyborg Rocket" in Russia. Vitaly also voiced a character based on himself in the Russian version of the 2011 Pixar movie Cars 2.
Vitaly's brother, Sergei, is a music composer.
Images for kids
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Petrov at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
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Petrov took his first win of the 2009 GP2 Series season at the Turkish round.
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When Petrov drove for Renault at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, it was the first time a Russian had driven in the Formula One World Championship.
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Petrov driving for Renault at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.
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Petrov in pre-season testing at Barcelona
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Petrov finished fifth in the wet weather race in Canada.
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Petrov driving for Caterham at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix.
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Petrov during free practice at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.
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Petrov at the 2012 US Grand Prix
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Petrov for Mücke Motorsport in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Vitali Petrov para niños
