Vitaly Petrov Looking Unlikely To Drive For Caterham In 2013

Vitaly Petrov’s future in Formula 1 has taken another blow amid continued speculation regarding the second seat at Caterham for the 2013 season, with reports indicating that communication between the two parties has stalled. Currently only Charles Pic has been confirmed at Caterham, with a team-mate still unconfirmed.

With only one seat remaining at the Leafield-based outfit, speculation is ripe within the Formula 1 fraternity as to who will be selected to team-mate Charles Pic. Both former Caterham drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov have been linked to the drive, alongside others such as former Williams driver Bruno Senna and GP2 driver Giedo van der Garde. With Heikki Kovalainen looking unlikely to be retained at Caterham, Vitaly Petrov has recently emerged as the more likely candidate to partner the young Frenchman.

However, Vitaly Petrov’s manager Oksana Kosachenko has recently confirmed that negotiations between the 28-year-old and Caterham have stalled. Kosachenko has also explained how Vitaly Petrov has still been unable to procure new sponsorship deals for the coming season, a fact which could seriously jeopardise any plans for 2013 and beyond for Petrov.

“At the moment there are a lot of unanswered questions,” explained Oksana Kosachenko to R-Sport. “There are too many nuances that need to be sorted out. We’re at the waiting stage, which is linked to the team’s restructuring. We completely depend on them and can’t speed anything up. So far, we haven’t managed to find new sponsors.”

Caterham’s Group Technical Officer, Mike Gascoyne, has also fueled speculation that Vitaly Petrov will not be retained for the coming season. The Englishman, who has worked for both Jordan, Renault and Force India has worked his way up through the ranks within Caterham, and has hinted that the Leafield-based outfit are looking for a younger driver instead of an experienced driver such as Heikki Kovalainen or Vitaly Petrov.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team

Andy’s F1 Blog’s Top Ten Drivers Of 2012

Immediately after the enthralling season finale around Sao Paulo’s Interlagos circuit, I launched a poll here allowing my readers to vote for their driver of the year. And what a year it was, seven different winners in the first seven different races, a season-long battle at the top, and probably one of the most exciting season finales in the history of the sport.

For me, many drivers up and down the grid deserved the honor of Driver of the Year, everyone from Pastor Maldonado to Sebastian Vettel proved just why they belong in the world of Formula 1. There were the usual ups and downs as the season progressed, such as Lewis Hamilton’s Twitter Tantrums to the likes of Pastor Maldonado’s and Kimi Raikkonen’s sensational victories in Spain and Abu Dhabi.

From seasons end to New Years Day, 143 of you visited my site and voted for who you thought was the driver of the year. Naturally only one driver took the majority of the votes, however drivers such as Bruno Senna and Vitaly Petrov secured amazingly high votes to enter Andy’s F1 Blog’s Top Ten Drivers’ of the 2012 season, so without any further ado, lets start the countdown…

 

10th: Michael Schumacher – Mercedes (2 Votes – 1.4%)

 

Michael Schumacher failed to return to his dominant ways in his return to the sport.

It’s unquestionable that Michael Schumacher’s return to Formula 1 was not a success, with the German never returning to the heights of his Benetton and Ferrari dominance which made him such a revered figure in the sport. However, the 2012 season saw numerous moments where Michael Schumacher returned momentarily to his old ways, beginning with a sensational pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix which the German was frustratingly unable to start from after a penalty from the previous race in Spain.

At the European Grand Prix at Valencia, Michael Schumacher finally returned to the podium for the first time since the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix with 3rd place behind Kimi Raikkonen and eventual race winner Fernando Alonso. Despite these two fleeting moments of success for Schumacher, the 2012 season was another frustrating affair for the seven-time World Champion, and led to his second retirement after the confirmation of Lewis Hamilton as his successor at the German marque.

 

9th: Felipe Massa – Ferrari (2 Votes – 1.4%)

Felipe Massa endured a tough 2012 campaign for Ferrari.

 

Felipe Massa suffered a torrid start to the 2012 season, which saw the Brazilian driver qualify no higher than 12th throughout the opening five races of the season. During this period, Massa could only finish in the points on one occasion at the Bahrain Grand Prix where he managed to finish 9th after starting a lowly 14th. However, as the season progressed, so did Felipe Massa’s performance which saw him qualify 5th and finish 4th at the British Grand Prix in July.

Despite Felipe Massa’s gradual improvement as the 2012 season progressed, this did nothing to quell strong rumors linking numerous drivers as potential replacements for the Brazilian. These potential suspects included the likes of Adrian Sutil, Nico Hulkenberg and even Jenson Button, however Ferrari decided to retain Massa for one more season alongside Fernando Alonso. Eventually Felipe Massa was able to finish on the podium twice towards the end of the season with 2nd at the Japanese Grand Prix and 3rd at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

 

8th: Mark Webber – Red Bull Racing (2 Votes – 1.4%)

 

Mark Webber started the season promisingly, but faded in the latter half.

Mark Webber enjoyed a sensational start to the season with Red Bull, contrary to reigning World Champion and team-mate Sebastian Vettel, as the Australian driver took two victories for the Milton Keynes-based outfit which included his second victory at Monaco. However, once Sebastian Vettel returned to his dominant ways at the front, Mark Webber’s Championship hopes quickly faded slightly, despite several further competitive results at the Korean and Indian Grands Prix.

Throughout the earlier parts of the 2012 season, Mark Webber was rumored to be potentially leaving the Red Bull outfit, with a switch to Ferrari a strong possibility at one stage. However, after Mark Webber’s superlative victory at the British Grand Prix the Australian driver was confirmed for another year at Red Bull alongside triple World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

 

7th: Jenson Button – McLaren (3 Votes – 2.1%)

 

Jenson Button won three races in 2012, and will become McLaren’s lead driver in 2013.

Jenson Button both started and ended the 2012 season in fine form, with victories at the season opening Australian Grand Prix and season ending Brazilian Grand Prix. The Briton also took victory at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, whilst carnage ensued further back with the now infamous Romain Grosjean multi-car incident at the start. However, Jenson Button also endured several highly uncompetitive races throughout 2012 including the Spanish, Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix where the Briton suffered three disastrous results in comparison to team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

With Lewis Hamilton now a Mercedes driver, Jenson Button has now fully assumed the role as team leader at the Woking-based outfit alongside the rising star that is Sergio Perez. Results reminiscent of the Canadian Grand Prix would be disastrous during the 2013 season, as Jenson Button prepares to spearhead McLaren’s Championship chances alongside the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.

 

6th: Vitaly Petrov – Caterham (6 Votes – 4.2%)

 

Vitaly Petrov produced a wonderful drive in Brazil, but is as of yet unconfirmed for 2013.

Vitaly Petrov picked up a surprising amount of votes, most likely due to his stellar performance during the season finale at Sao Paulo which saw Caterham retake the all-important 10th in the Constructors’ Championship over rivals Marussia. The 28-year-old Russian ended the race 11th for Caterham, which enabled the Leafield-based outfit to rise above Marussia despite once again scoring no points throughout the year.

Currently Vitaly Petrov is not confirmed at Caterham for the 2013 season, with Frenchman Charles Pic the only confirmed driver on the grid for the team. The second seat has yet to be announced, with drivers such as Vitaly Petrov, Heikki Kovalainen, Giedo van der Garde and Bruno Senna all linked to what has become one of the last vacancies on the grid for 2013.

 

5th: Bruno Senna – Williams (12 Votes – 8.39%)

 

Bruno Senna was consistent in 2012 for Williams, but is also unconfirmed for 2013.

Another driver who has picked up a surprising number of votes, Bruno Senna endured a bitter sweet 2012 season for Williams. Although team-mate Pastor Maldonado received early success with his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, it’s unquestionable that Bruno Senna enjoyed a much more consistent season than his Venezuelan team-mate. Between the Spanish Grand Prix in May and the Japanese Grand Prix in October, Maldonado failed to score a single World Championship point, whereas Senna picked up 11 points for Williams.

Despite this almost stealth-like consistency in comparison to team-mate Pastor Maldonado, the Brazilian driver has unfortunately been replaced at Williams for next season by the team’s reserve driver Valtteri Bottas. However, recent rumors have linked the 29-year-old to Caterham alongside Charles Pic for 2013, a move which would see all change at the Leafield-based outfit, and a rather strong line-up for the new season.

 

4th: Lewis Hamilton – McLaren (13 Votes – 9.09%)

 

Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a much better season in 2012, and will move to Mercedes for 2013.

Unquestionably one of the stars of the 2012 season, Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a much more competitive season than 2011. The 2008 World Champion began the season very consistently, with points scored at the first seven races which included victory at the Canadian Grand Prix. However, the Briton’s 2012 campaign was not without error as he used the social networking site Twitter in a foolish manner on more than one occasion.

Despite Lewis Hamilton’s off track misdemeanors, the McLaren driver was without-a-doubt one of the quickest drivers all season, which allowed him to take four victories throughout the year including a sensational win at the United States Grand Prix around the brand-new track in Austin. Lewis Hamilton made headline news worldwide just after the Singapore Grand Prix, when it was announced he would be leaving McLaren to join Mercedes alongside Nico Rosberg in 2013.

 

3rd: Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull Racing (15 Votes – 10.49%)

Sebastian Vettel might well have been crowned World Champion, but struggled in the early stages.

 

Amazingly the 2012 World Champion only comes 3rd in our top ten countdown, despite a season which saw the young German fight a season-long battle with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Unlike the previous year which saw Sebastian Vettel utterly dominate the opposition, the 2012 season saw the German driver initially struggle greatly and only pick up one victory in the opening thirteen races of the season.

However, due largely to Adrian Newey’s mastermind and several sensational drives along the way, Sebastian Vettel was able to once again reassert in authority over proceedings and clinch his third successive drivers’ title, becoming only third driver in the history of the sport alongside Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher to do so. Expect much of the same from the youngster in 2013, as he continues to write his own history in F1.

 

2nd: Kimi Raikkonen – Lotus (17 Votes – 11.89%)

Kimi Raikkonen was his usual laid back self in the paddock, eventually winning one race in 2012.

 

Despite a rocky return in Australia at the start of the year, where Kimi Raikkonen qualified a lowly 17th, the Iceman was my personal highlight of the 2012 season and rightfully deserves to be within the top three. He might not have fully returned to his once fearsome competitiveness until mid-season, but the Finnish ace returned to the sport as though he never left, with his blunt approach to life in the paddock once again causing headline news in the media.

Admittedly the Finn should have won more races throughout the season, most notably in Bahrain, however Kimi Raikkonen remained the most consistent driver of the year by finishing every single race of the season in the points apart from China where his Pirelli tyres expired. Eventually the Finn stormed to his 19th career victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in doing so snapping at his race engineer to leave him alone on the radio in what has undoubtedly become Kimi’s trademark catchphrase.

 

1st: Fernando Alonso – Ferrari (61 Votes – 42.66%)

 

Fernando Alonso was unquestionably the driver of the year in 2012, and will be a strong contender once again in 2013!

Receiving a whopping 61 votes since the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix, and squeezing every ounce of juice out of his initially disastrous Ferrari F2012, Fernando Alonso has been rated as the Driver of the Year, and rightfully so! The Spaniard took his first victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix in March in the wet/dry race, and completely overshadowed team-mate Felipe Massa. Whilst his Brazilian counterpart struggled greatly with the F2012, Fernando Alonso called upon his masterful race-craft to remain a title contender right down to the final race of the season.

Fernando Alonso was one of the most consistent drivers of the season, only retiring from two races throughout the year. The Spaniard finished on the podium a mesmerizing thirteen times, which included a streak of five back-to-back podiums during the last five races. However, Sebastian Vettel’s spell of four victories between the Singapore and Indian Grands Prix saw the Championship swing back towards Milton Keynes. With Fernando Alonso coming so very close to Championship supremacy in 2012, expect the Spaniard to be a title contender from the word go in 2013!

Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas/Getty Images/McLaren F1 Team/Caterham F1 Team/Williams F1 Team & Pirelli

Petrov Thrilled With Clinching Tenth In The Championship For Caterham

Vitaly Petrov is thrilled with clinching tenth in the Constructors’ Championship with Caterham, after a tough 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix in utterly treacherous conditions. Heading into the race saw Caterham behind Marussia in the Championship, however a superlative 11th from Vitaly Petrov saw them leapfrog their Anglo-Russian competitors.

Throughout the final part of the 2012 season, Caterham have remained adamant they would eventually catch Marussia in the Championship. Seeing as the three bottom teams in the Championship failed to score any points throughout the season, their Championship positions were determined by their highest finishing position outside the points. This meant Caterham needed to somehow finish the race 12th or higher to thwart their opposition, something which Vitaly Petrov managed to achieve after a tense season finale.

Although neither Caterham, Marussia or HRT scored any points this season, finishing tenth in the Constructors’ Championship is worth in excess of $10 million for the lucky team. For the majority of the second half of the season, it has looked as though Marussia would once again finish tenth, however the unrelenting Caterham outfit failed to loose sight of their nearest competitors, and finally finished high enough to clinch that all important position in the Championship.

“What an incredible race.” Enthused a thrilled Vitaly Petrov after the race, “I’m so pleased for the whole team and I want to thank every single one of them for doing such a fantastic job in the conditions today. Seeing what regaining tenth place in the Championship meant to everyone when I got back to the garage was really special and I think we deserve it after all the hard work we’ve put in throughout the whole year. On track it was one of the hardest races I’ve ever been in, but also one of the best.”

The extra income which the team will receive for clinching tenth in the Championship could well see either Vitaly Petrov or Heikki Kovalainen be retained by the outfit for next season, despite neither drivers apparently set to bring a huge amount of sponsorship money to the team in 2013. The lucky candidate will team-mate Charles Pic next season, regarding the team decide against lucrative offers from other candidates up and down the grid.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team

Kovalainen Hindered By DRS Issues As Petrov Struggles In Qualifying

Heikki Kovalainen’s qualifying effort was hindered by a DRS issue during qualifying for tomorrow’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, whilst the Finn’s team-mate Vitaly Petrov struggled throughout the duration of the session. This saw the Caterham duo qualify 19th and 21st for the race, with the Marussia of Charles Pic splitting the pair.

Vitaly Petrov in particular suffered a rather uncompetitive qualifying session for the Caterham outfit, after struggling during the third and final practice session earlier in the day. This saw the Russian driver test several setups on his car, however once the qualifying hour began, Petrov once again found himself struggling with the balance of his car around the Yas Marina circuit.

“Honestly I’m a little bit disappointed with where I’ve ended up in quali today because I thought the car would be a bit quicker than it was.” Explained a disheartened Vitaly Petrov, “We had a slightly tricky FP3 and tried a couple of setup options to find a good balance and when I went out for my first run in Q1 it didn’t really feel like I could push. It felt better on the softs and on my fastest lap I was looking good up to turn 17 but a bit of traffic after that held me up just enough to cost me time.”

Whilst Vitaly Petrov struggled in his machine, Heikki Kovalainen was suffering from an issue on his DRS. This meant that the Finn was at a severe disadvantage through the high speed corners, and saw him only just qualify ahead of rookie Charles Pic in the Marussia. Despite a tough day at the office for the Caterham duo, they are both confident ahead of tomorrow’s race.

“My first run on the medium tyres was ok but on the second run on the softs I had a problem with the DRS that meant I wasn’t able to really attack the high speed corners and that cost me a bit of time.” Said Heikki Kovalainen, “Despite that I think we’re looking ok for tomorrow. The balance feels better with the lower track temperatures we had for quali and that’ll most likely be the same tomorrow for the race, so hopefully I can have another good start and see how hard we can push the cars ahead.”

Once again the Toro Rossos were the nearest of the midfield teams to Caterham during the qualifying hour, and both Kovalainen and Petrov will be eager to push to Faenza-based outfit during the race. With Caterham still striving to recapture 10th in the Constructors’ Championship from Marussia, a competitive end to the season is imperative for the Leafield-based outfit.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Vitaly Petrov Plagued By KERS And Radio Issues During The Race

Vitaly Petrov has confirmed he was plagued by KERS and radio issues throughout the 53-lap Japanese Grand Prix, the latter leading to the Russian driver incurring a drive-thru penalty as he was allegedly unable to hear the blue flag calls. However, the Caterham driver was still able to finish 17th in the race, after a tough weekend at Suzuka.

After miraculously avoiding the first lap carnage which ensued ahead of him, Vitaly Petrov was able to settle into a decent rhythm towards the back of the pack. However, as the race progressed the Russian driver lost the ability to use KERS, before then loosing radio communication with the pit wall. This naturally put Petrov at a disadvantage, especially when it came to adhering to the blue flag calls. Due to Petrov’s inability to hear his team informing him of the blue flags as the leaders came through, he was issued with a drive-thru penalty towards the end of the race.

“My first stop was fine but after that we lost KERS and that obviously cost me time.” Explained Vitaly Petrov, after a difficult Japanese Grand Prix. “I also had a problem with the radio and couldn’t hear the blue flag calls and that ended up with the drive-through penalty. From where I started on the grid and with the KERS issue I think I probably got as much as I could out of the car today. It’s been a bit of tough weekend but it’s good to see the team working so hard to keep pushing us forwards and next week in Korea we have another chance to keep fighting.”

Both Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov enjoyed a relatively successful race in comparison to Singapore last time out, and will be hoping they can continue doing so next time out at the Korean Grand Prix. Regardless of Caterham’s improved competitiveness at Japan, they remain behind Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team

Vitaly Petrov Full Of Praise For Caterham After Qualifying

Vitaly Petrov has enjoyed one of his most competitive qualifying sessions as a Caterham driver, after the Russian star out-qualified Heikki Kovalainen in 19th position. The Caterham mechanics carried out a masterful job of fixing his car after third practice, which saw Petrov tap the barrier on the exit of turn 21.

After several races of lackluster performance by the Caterham F1 team, it seems the Leafield-based outfit have rediscovered their form. Although they were still knocked out after Q1, the Renault-powered outfit were much closer to their midfield opposition during the opening 20 minutes of qualifying.

“I’m really happy with how qualifying went today.” Enthused Vitaly Petrov, “It’s my Father’s birthday and the performance is my present for him. He told me this morning “don’t push too hard” and then I went and crashed the car in P3! The boys did a fantastic job in the garage to repair the car and it was actually all ready 15 minutes before Q1, so thank you very much to them for putting in such a great effort.”

Vitaly Petrov’s highly competitive performance in qualifying was noticed within the team, as both Caterham’s technical director Mark Smith and team principal Tony Fernandes praised the Russian driver. Praise was in abundance throughout the team for their tremendous work on Petrov’s car between third practice and qualifying, after the Russian drive ruined his right-rear tyre in the closing stages of the session.

“First I want to thank the team for the excellent work they did between FP3 and qualifying to repair Vitaly’s car, and give him what he needed to put in the performance he did in Q1.” Said the team’s technical director, Mark Smith. “It is good to see that we have started to unlock the potential of the new parts we have brought here and the aim is to make sure we keep progressing.”

Tony Fernandes was full of praise for Vitaly Petrov, who has recently risen to the challenge within the Caterham outfit. The Russian driver has been rumored to be making way for Jaime Alguersuari next season, however these allegations are far from the minds of the Caterham team after qualifying.

“I think Vitaly’s performance today might just be the making of him as a Caterham driver.” Explained Tony Fernandes, “He drove outstandingly well today and I have never heard him speak so positively over the radio. He enjoyed his drive and his crew did a brilliant job to fix his car, and give him the platform to show what he can do.”

Tomorrow’s 61-lap race will unquestionably be one of the toughest of the season, however Vitaly Petrov will be striving to remain competitive as he fends off team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and the Marussia duo of Timo Glock and Charles Pic. With Caterham sill yet to score a point in Formula 1, Petrov would undoubtedly relish to opportunity of clinching that elusive maiden point for the team.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team

Vitaly Petrov Aiming To Improve His Qualifying Performance

Vitaly Petrov has explained how he hopes to tackle his poor qualifying performance throughout the remainder of the 2012 season, after being outperformed by team-mate Heikki Kovalainen during the majority of the qualifying sessions so far this season. Although the Russian has performed better during the race, he aims to improve when it comes to qualifying.

The Russian driver has so far only out-qualified his team-mate twice all season, at the Spanish and British Grands Prix. However, the stats have favored Petrov when it comes to outperforming Kovalainen during the race. This is something the Caterham driver wishes to fix throughout the second half of the season, with the hope that he can outperform Kovalainen in both qualifying and the race on numerous occasions.

“Of course I will try my best.” Explained Vitaly Petrov, when asked about his qualifying performance. “What is good is that I know the problem, so we will try to fix this problem in the second half of the season, so I will try to get close to my team-mate and then we will see.”

Caterham have progressed through to Q2 on several occasions this season, however each time it has been Heikki Kovalainen who has been the faster driver. The Leafield-based outfit have yet to score any World Championship points so far this season, and Vitaly Petrov would undoubtably prefer to be the driver to score those elusive maiden points for the Caterham-outfit.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team