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Vitaly Petrov
Вита́лий Петро́в
Vitaly Petrov 2010 Malaysia (cropped).jpg
Petrov at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
Born
Vitaly Aleksandrovich Petrov

(1984-09-08) 8 September 1984 (age 40)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Russia Russian
Active years 20102012
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 Driver.png 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.

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.

Vitaly Petrov 2009 GP2 Turkey
Petrov won his first race of the 2009 GP2 Series season in Turkey.

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 2010 Bahrain
Petrov driving for Renault at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. He was the first Russian to race in Formula One.

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.

Vitaly Petrov (2010 Montreal GP)
Petrov racing for Renault at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.

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

Catalunya test 2011 - 31
Petrov testing his car before the 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.

Vitaly Petrov Canada 2011
Petrov finished fifth in the wet race in Canada.

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)

2012 Australian Grand Prix 05
Petrov driving for Caterham at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix.

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.

Vitaly Petrov 2012 Malaysia FP2
Petrov during practice at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.

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.

Vitaly Petrov, United States Grand Prix, Austin 2012
Petrov at the 2012 US Grand Prix.

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

2014 DTM HockenheimringII Vitaly Petrov by 2eight 8SC4925
Petrov racing for Mücke Motorsport in DTM in 2014.

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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Vitali Petrov para niños

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