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Sep 25
Vitaly Petrov’s formula one career is in crisis, after his manager called off talks with prospective teams over a 2013 race seat.
Oksana Kosachenko told the Russian news agency Ria Novosti that the former Renault and now Caterham driver’s sponsorship funds have dried up. She said recently she was in talks about 2013 with three or four teams.
May 18
Vitaly Petrov thinks it is possible Felipe Massa will lose his Ferrari seat long before the 2012 season is over.
But Caterham’s Russian driver, who moved from Renault (now Lotus) at the end of last season, does not believe reports that Ferrari could sack the struggling Brazilian imminently, such as after next weekend’s Monaco grand prix.
May 16
Preparations for the inaugural Russian grand prix in 2014 appear to have hit a roadblock.
We reported last weekend that rumours were circulating in the Barcelona paddock that the Sochi race now appears “doomed”. The state owned Moscow news agency Ria Novosti now reports that political issues have created “serious delays” in the race’s preparations, according to an adviser with the Russian Automobile Federation.
May 03
Vitaly Petrov on Thursday dealt a blow to Mugello’s ambitions to join the F1 calendar.
The Russian, who drives for Caterham, said the Ferrari owned circuit in beautiful Tuscany is too dangerous for modern grand prix cars. On Thursday, F1 teams are concluding their third consecutive day of rare in-season testing at the high speed circuit near Florence.
Feb 24
The precise pecking-order is clouded, but one thing is clear: 2012 looks set to be a highly competitive season in formula one.
“There are a lot of cars out there that look competitive,” said McLaren’s Jenson Button, on the day Williams’ Pastor Maldonado set the quickest time in the midst of the second group test in Barcelona.
Jan 31
F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone got involved in Vitaly Petrov’s quest to stay on the grid this year, the Russian driver’s manager has revealed.
We reported recently that, after the 27-year-old lost his Renault (now Lotus) race seat, the sport’s ‘supremo’ Ecclestone became involved in order to keep Petrov on the grid. The 81-year-old Briton has arranged to take his sport to Russia in the near future, while Petrov is supported personally by prime minister Vladimir Putin.
Oct 27
The Russian federal government has committed to invest heavily in the country’s inaugural grand prix in 2014.
The Ria Novosti news agency reports that the circuit in Sochi, located on the Black Sea coast, is to be built at a cost of towards US $200 million. And the Krasnodar region’s deputy governor Alaxander Ivanov is quoted by Reuters: “The federal government has allocated $195.4 million for this project.”
Feb 08
“If Renault should contact us we will start thinking about that”
With Robert Kubica facing a long recovery from his horror rally crash, the candidates to fill his Renault race seat are beginning to line up. The Lotus-sponsored team’s boss Eric Boullier acknowledged on Monday that with the Polish regular out for several months, he is likely to look beyond contracted reserve drivers Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean.
Feb 04
“Marussia Virgin Racing is not just the first Russian team, but the first team with a Russian license”
F1 team Virgin will race with a Russian license in 2011, it will be announced officially early next week. The Russian sports car maker Marussia sponsored the new British team last year, and ahead of the 2011 season acquired shares and renamed the team Marussia Virgin.
