Petrov: “A great opportunity”

Vitaly Petrov will therefore team up with Robert Kubica in 2010, as AUTOhebdo.fr announced to you on Wednesday. The Russian, runner-up in the GP2 Series in 2009, is delighted to be able to make his debut in the premier discipline of motorsport, even though places are expensive.

« This tenure is a great opportunity for me and I am really looking forward to working with the team this season., confirms Vitaly Petrov. I have always dreamed of becoming a Formula One driver and making my debut in the premier discipline, with a great team such as Renault, is very exciting. The first race is in just over a month, so I want to spend as much time with the team as possible over the next few weeks to be ready for Bahrain »

For Eric Boullier, this choice is the right one. However, the manager was looking for a driver capable of challenging Robert Kubica and, given Vitaly Petrov?s lack of experience, there is no doubt that the Pole will leave with a good head start. Despite everything, the Renault team manager F1 is optimistic.

« It?s a very special day for Vitaly and we are happy to welcome him to the team, declares Boullier. As a young rookie, we know Vitaly has a lot to learn but his performance in the GP2 series last year was solid, it confirmed he is ready for Formula One. Robert is a good role model for him and I am sure that his results will be consistent with what he has already demonstrated throughout his career »

Additionally, Jérôme d'Ambrosio and Jan Charouz have been named Renault F1 Team reserve drivers while Ho-Pin Tung, seen at the Jerez rookie tests in December, will be the third driver.