Vitaly Petrov’s podium, a relief for Lotus Renault’s suffering – Formula 1 news
After having a forgettable winter of 2011, Renault have finally celebrated for the first time in Australia when Vitaly Petrov brought the third place trophy home.
Petrov ended the suffering mood at the Renault camp which was started after Robert Kubica was injured in a rally crash in February.
Starting from Kubica’s crash which occurred almost a month ago in which he injured his right arm, leg and shoulder. It was a big setback for the Renault team as the Pole was ruled out of the 2011 season for at least 6 months.
Kubica underwent four surgeries in total after which he was able to walk with the help of crutches. He kept on saying that he will be out on the racing track in less than three months, as he was able to do in the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, but his injuries
kept him from doing that. Kubica is now recovering from his injuries which will take at least six months, if not more.
The Renault team boss Eric Boullier had to decide a replacement and he booked Nick Heidfeld as a stand-in for Kubica. Heidfeld was one of the names Kubica mentioned when asked about his possible replacement because they both were teammates back in 2006 in
BMW colours. Heidfeld performed well in the pre-season testing sessions but in the Australian Grand Prix, the spotlight was owned by the rookie, Petrov.
Petrov qualified in sixth place behind the big guns of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. The only Russian driver on the grid took the lead and placed himself third in the starting laps and held on to that position until the chequered flag. The interesting thing
about Petrov’s run was that he was able to be ahead of his rival Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.
In Abu Dhabi in 2010, Petrov did same to Alonso and was ahead of the Spaniard for the whole race. Had Alonso finished fourth in the Abu Dhabi race, he would have become the champion for the third time. Petrov was cursed by Alonso on many occasions until
the Spaniard realised that the desert track was responsible for less overtaking.
In Australia, however, the Ferrari team opted for a three pit-stop strategy after which Alonso lost some precious seconds to Renault’s rookie, as Petrov did only two pit-stops. Petrov earned his first podium finish in his 20th race
and seemed excited about that.
“It was great to be standing on the podium in front of my team, especially knowing what we have all been through over the winter with some very difficult moments. It shows that all the hard work and effort was worth it,” said Petrov.
The Renault team and Kubica were also happy about the Petrov’s performance because what Petrov did in 2010 season, it was feared that he will be dropped. After Kubica was injured and Heidfeld was taken on board, it was expected that Heidfeld will play the
anchor role in the team with all his experience. Heidfeld landed low on the grid as he started the race in 18th position and finished 12th.
The next race starts in Malaysia in three days and Petrov commented that it will be a tough fight.
“I like the track, but it's difficult because there are lots of different corners and finding the ideal set-up isn't easy. You need a car that works everywhere: in the fast corners, in the slow corners, and you also need to be good on the brakes.”
Tags: