Petrov and Renault: divorce?

While Vitaly Petrov was supposed to bring 15 million euros to the Renault team F1 Team this season, the Russian may not be able to provide the necessary liquidity. The pilot's father said that, despite the visit of 500 of the largest Russian companies, Vitaly's search for sponsorship had yielded nothing.

Having promised to provide 15 million euros to guarantee his son's place at Renault, Alexander Petrovic then took out a personal loan of 7,5 million euros, in order to pay it to the team at the beginning of the month of March, the second half to be brought in July, reveals Will Buxton, journalist, on his blog. But the main interested party told Russian media that this loan was currently blocked.

Several weeks ago, while seeking to secure his son's place in F1, Alexander Petrovic counted on Vitaly's manager, Oksana Kosachenko, to find partnerships. “ Oksana visited 500 of Russia's biggest companies but was rejected every time. » The father of the Renault driver then chose the personal solution. “ Fortunately, at the last moment, my friend, chairman of the board of directors of one of the banks in St Petersburg, agreed to grant me a loan of 7,5 million euros. »

Today, the requested sum has still not been granted to the Petrov family and it is possible that the Russian pilot will see his future darken. “ The first 7,5 million were not paid to me, says Vitaly Petrov’s father. The bank has strengthened its loan application study. If I don't receive the money before March, Vitaly could be replaced by another driver. »

However, it appeared that Vitaly Petrov had received the support of Gazprom, a Russian oil company, in order to enter Formula 1 this season. “ I would have preferred it to be true, says Petrovic. Unfortunately, these are just rumors. If Gazprom had sponsored us, they would have been entitled to a presence on the car. »