Vitaly Petrov
Vitaly Petrov makes another late return to the 2013 driver line-up after it appeared he would miss out on a seat this season.
Last Updated: 18/01/13 2:16pm
Vitaly Petrov makes another late return to the 2013 driver line-up after it appeared he would miss out on a seat this season.
The 28-year-old Russian made history in 2010 when he became his country's first-ever F1 driver after being signed to drive for Lotus Renault.
Despite a difficult debut campaign, he was much improved through the 2011 season yet the return of former World Champion Kimi Raikkonen left him without a drive until a late deal was agreed with Caterham.
Petrov first caught the racing bug when he drove a Lada Zhiguli with his father, who has provided the financial backing for his career.
Beginning his motorsport life racing touring cars in his homeland, Petrov headed west and first made a name for himself in Formula Renault before moving on to Formula 3000.
From there it was the GP2 series, in which Petrov's exploits in 2009 - when he finished second to Nico Hulkenberg and claimed six wins - impressed many within the F1 paddock.
Petrov earned himself a one-year contract with Renault - the deal being sweetened by the millions he brings with him. He reportedly paid £13million - seven per cent of Renault's 2010 budget - for the race seat.
His introduction to F1 was brutal, though, as he suffered three retirements in his first three races. Petrov picked up his first points in the fourth race in China but it was downhill after that again, much to the disappointment of his bosses at Renault as team-mate Robert Kubica was fighting for podiums at the front end of the grid.
The powers that be made it clear that unless he started to improve, he would not be offered a new contract.
Improve Petrov did, however, with the Hungarian Grand Prix seeing him outqualify Kubica for the first time before he finished fifth in the race.
Most people were still convinced he wouldn't be seen on the grid in 2011. However, Petrov saved his best for the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, where he held Ferrari's title-chasing Fernando Alonso at bay for most of the race, eventually crossing the line in sixth.
Lotus Renault decided to keep faith and with team-mate Kubica sidelined after a rally crash pre-season, Petrov immediately stepped up to the plate in Melbourne's season-opener, where he scored his first podium finish.
But that was as good as it got for both driver and team as car developments hindered rather than helped. Petrov eventually finished tenth in the drivers' standings but his outspokenness about Lotus Renault's downward spiral landed him in hot water.
It came as little surprise that the team looked elsewhere for 2012 but after weeks of uncertainty, it was a case of better late than never for Petrov when Caterham finally came calling.
As it turned out, he gave a good account of himself. Paired with the established Heikki Kovalainen, Petrov was outqualified more often than not but outraced the race winner on Sundays and gained Caterham their all-important 11th-place finish in Brazil.