The Russian Formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov was born in 1984 in the city of Vyborg. From early childhood, the boy was interested in all means of moving people: cars, horses, boats. Father encouraged the interest of the future race car driver, thanks to which Vitaly learned how to drive a “Lada” of the fourth model already at the age of 6. A few years later, the child mastered control on other models of cars.
In his youth, the future Formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov had problems at school, as he was an extremely agile boy who was unable to sit quietly at his desk for a long time. In the hometown of the future rider there were no sports sections where young people could go kart racing. However, the boy did not despair. In his spare time, he did rally sprint. It is worth noting that most of the famous racers have achieved good results, engaged in kart racing from an early age.
The first achievements of the rider
Vitaly Petrov began his career as a pilot on Formula 1, reaching the age of 17. For this sport, this is considered unacceptable.
The Formula 1 racer Vitaly Petrov has a remarkable biography because, after reaching the age of 12, he was allowed to participate in rally sprint competitions on a par with adult athletes. Then 50 adult men participated in the races, and Vitaly managed to take seventh place. It was at that moment that he took the first steps towards building his brilliant racing career.
After a bold performance at a rally of the future Formula 1 participant, Vitaly Petrov was noticed by a local coach who worked hard with him for several years. Thanks to the efforts of a man, a very young athlete achieved great success in racing on highways. Having reached the age of 14, Vitaliy for the first time took first place at major rally sprint competitions in St. Petersburg.
In 2002, the driver won the competitions held in Togliatti. There he managed to capture the Lada Cup. In addition, in honor of a significant victory he was presented with a car. Now the young man could hone his skills as a racer in his personal vehicle.
After the debut end of two seasons at the Lada Cup, manager Oksana Kosachenko spotted a talented teenager. It was she who helped Vitaly get into competitions in the countries of the European Union.
The story of father Vitaly
According to Alexander Petrov, at the end of the next stage of the race at the Lada Cup, his son was punished for violation during the competition, as a result of which during the next competition Vitaly had to start in last, 24th place. It rained heavily that day, and since Vitaly trained mainly on the training routes of the Leningrad Region, he was not used to such weather vagaries. Vitaliy learned to “own” a car well on damp asphalt. He finished first, beating all his eminent competitors, among whom were world-famous masters of sports. It was probably a shame for them to give up the victory laurels to a 17-year-old guy.
Vyborg Rocket
After successful races at competitions in their native country, sports journalists began to devote more and more articles to Petrov. Thanks to his talents, the athlete received the nickname Vyborg Rocket.
After brilliant performances on the sports tracks of Western Europe, the Russian racer became known as the "Petrov First". This pseudonym appeared as a result of the fact that Vitaly became the first pilot on the Formula 1 from Russia. He, like the reformer Peter I, cut through the “window to Europe” for his performance at the “royal races”.
Career of a Russian racer in Europe
In 2003, the pilot of Formula 1 Vitaly Petrov participated in the competition Formula Renault (Italian championship). As part of the Euronova Racing team, Vitaly managed to take 19th place. His achievements do not end there. After some time, he came to finish 4th in the winter Formula Renault series, which was organized in England. In the same 2003, the racer made his debut at the F-3000 races in Cagliari.
Return to Russia
In 2004, Petrov took part in one season of the Russian championship Lada Revolution. At each competition, he started from the first position, but reached the finish line second. In the final season of the Russian championship, the young pilot returned to Western Europe.
In 2005, the Russian Formula 1 pilot was more fortunate in the Lada Revolution races. The young man managed to come first to the finish line 10 times, as a result of which Vitaly becomes the champion. But his success does not end there, because he, among other things, became the owner of the champion title at the Formula 1,600 event.
New achievements of Petrov in Western Europe
In 2006, the Russian pilot became the bronze finalist of the F-3000 event as part of the Euronova Racing group. Vitaly managed to take prizes 10 times, as well as to achieve 4 champion titles.
In the same year, a racer from Russia for the first time in his career performs in the GP2 series. Having joined the Campos Grand Prix team, Vitaliy scored 4 victories in races.
Following the results of the GP2 season in 2008, Petrov became a bronze medalist.
In 2009, Petrov, joining the Barwa Addax team, won the next 2 victories, but could not keep his champion laurels of the rider. According to the results of the series, he was recognized only as vice-champion of the competition.
In 2011, Petrov managed to become a participant in the "Race of Champions". Of the three competitions, he finished first only once, without leaving the group.
Petrov's participation in Formula 1
Vitaliy became the first F-1 pilot from Russia. In the spring of 2010, he made his debut at the Grand Prix in Bahrain. To take part in the "royal races" the Russian entered into an agreement with the French Renault team.
The athlete was funded by the state corporation Rostec, this was repeatedly stated to journalists by top officials of the state. Without financial support from his native country, an athlete would hardly have been able to achieve such “high-profile” successes.
Currently, a pilot from Russia is considered an active racer. He spent the whole of 2014 as part of the German team Mucke Motorsport. The athlete spoke in a C-class Mercedes AMG DTM. His most significant performance as part of this team took place in the Netherlands, where he took 11th place on the Zandvoort track.
At the beginning of 2015, reporters learned that Vitaly had decided to leave the DTM.
Personal life of Vitaly Petrov
The pilot of Formula 1 Vitaly Petrov is trying to carefully hide his private life from annoying journalists. It is known that the guy is considered an enviable groom.
In 2012, Alexander Pavlova claimed the role of the bride . The girl leads the program on the channel "Humor box". The young couple was seen together several times, but how serious their relationship is remains a mystery.