Vitaly Petrov

Vitaly Aleksandrovich Petrov (8 September 1984 - Present): Russian racing driver from Vyborg, Russia, known as the 'Vyborg Rocket.' Competed in Formula 1 for Renault (2010-2011) and Caterham (2012), making 57 starts with 1 podium, 64 career points, and becoming the first Russian F1 driver. Unlike most F1 drivers, Petrov began in rallying rather than karting, winning the Russian Lada Cup in 2002 and both Formula 1600 and Lada Revolution titles in 2005. He made his F1 debut at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix with Renault alongside Robert Kubica, finishing 13th in the championship with 27 points.

Petrov scored his only podium at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix (3rd), becoming the first Russian on an F1 podium, and finished 10th with 37 points. His most notable performance came at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale, where he successfully defended against Fernando Alonso's repeated overtaking attempts, costing Alonso the championship. He moved to Caterham for 2012 with an uncompetitive car, achieving 11th at Brazil as his best result. Post-F1, Petrov raced in DTM for Mercedes (2014) and has competed in the World Endurance Championship's LMP2 class.