Vitaly Petrov proved Renault’s strong position and pace by finishing on the podium alongside Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.
The podium finish is the Russian’s first top-three finish.
“I am happy to be here sitting with these guys,” Petrov said after the race.
“We focused on our race, and today did everything perfectly and we must be proud of our place today.”
Petrov explained how he achieved his third placed finish, highlighting his start, in which he jumped from sixth to fourth, as the key factor.
“I made a great start, which was probably the key for my race because it got me ahead of Alonso and Button, and I was able to run in some clean air and push hard, as well as looking after my tyres.
“Our two-stop strategy was clearly the right decision and we made it work. I have to say a big thanks to everyone in the team for working so hard and for supporting my over the winter.
“This result is for all of us and I’m totally ecstatic.”
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