Vitaly Petrov's situation when he first set foot in Formula One was quite well-defined. He was asked to score half the points of his teammate Robert Kubica by mid-season and after that continue his improvement in the series. He did neither, and the only thing that saved his career was F1's and Renault's need to expand to the Russian market (and that's as blunt as we can put it).
Usually when a rookie steps into F1, his more experienced teammate unwillingly picks up a teaching role also. According to Petrov however, this did not happen in his case, as the only way he learnt how to improve inside the Renault garage was by looking at the Pole's data.
“If you're team-mates with Robert you can't learn anything from him because he's a closed person, so you just watch his data, how he's working, what he says to the engineers and that's it,” said Petrov about his teammate.
“I didn't learn so much from him, but I learned his way of driving from the data, and (learned from) how he talked with his engineers.”
At the end of the 2010 season, Kubica managed to score some 136 points for Renault, as compared to only 27 points from Petrov. However, it was the Russian driver who stole the show in the season finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after blocking Fernando Alonso's way to a third world title. He eventually crossed the finish line in 6th place.
Having already competed in 19 F1 races through the 2010 campaign, Petrov thinks he finally found the solution to become a better racer in the upcoming season.
“I had a little bit of pressure, a little bit of nerves, but then finally I found the solution and I think it's working. Next season I hope will be easier for me,” he concluded.
Usually when a rookie steps into F1, his more experienced teammate unwillingly picks up a teaching role also. According to Petrov however, this did not happen in his case, as the only way he learnt how to improve inside the Renault garage was by looking at the Pole's data.
“If you're team-mates with Robert you can't learn anything from him because he's a closed person, so you just watch his data, how he's working, what he says to the engineers and that's it,” said Petrov about his teammate.
“I didn't learn so much from him, but I learned his way of driving from the data, and (learned from) how he talked with his engineers.”
At the end of the 2010 season, Kubica managed to score some 136 points for Renault, as compared to only 27 points from Petrov. However, it was the Russian driver who stole the show in the season finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after blocking Fernando Alonso's way to a third world title. He eventually crossed the finish line in 6th place.
Having already competed in 19 F1 races through the 2010 campaign, Petrov thinks he finally found the solution to become a better racer in the upcoming season.
“I had a little bit of pressure, a little bit of nerves, but then finally I found the solution and I think it's working. Next season I hope will be easier for me,” he concluded.